Big Tech’s Complicity in Apartheid & Genocide

In the wake of a live streamed Genocide, and after decades of apartheid and occupation, the oppression of the Palestinian people is becoming more and more well known around the world. However, many are still not aware of Big Tech’s Complicity. From the censorship of Palestinian voices and narratives on social media, to the digital erasion of Palestine on mapping services, cloud computing contracts with the Israeli military that enabled the first “AI-assisted Genocide”, and the deplatforming of Palestinians on digital financial platforms which makes it almost impossible to get aid to those in need, Big Tech is deeply complicit in almost every aspect of Palestinian oppression.

Join us for a conversation outlining the details of Big Tech’s complicity and what is to be done about it with Nadim Nashif and Omar Zahzah. Nadim is the Founder and General Director of 7amleh, a Palestinian digital rights organization which works towards a free, fair, and safe digital space for all Palestinians. He has been a leader in Palestinian civil society for decades, and he will be visiting the Bay Area from Palestine. Omar is a Professor of Arab, Muslim, Ethnicities and Diaspora Studies (AMED) in the Department of Race and Resistance Studies (RRS) at San Francisco State University, and the author of the recently published book Terms of Servitude: Zionism, Silicon Valley, and Digital Colonialism in the Palestinian Liberation Struggle.

Speakers:

Nadim Nashif is the executive director and co-founder of 7amleh: The Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media. Nadim is a committed Digital Rights Defender and long time community organizer, who has worked on youth and community development issues for over 20 years. Nadim founded and previously served as director of Baladna, The Association for Arab Youth. He founded and coordinated the youth wing of the Balad political party before becoming Director at the Committee for Educational Guidance for Arab students. He is also the co-founder of Wusol Digital Academy, a digital marketing educational center.

Omar Zahzah is an Assistant Professor of Arab, Muslim, Ethnicities and Diaspora Studies (AMED) in the Department of Race and Resistance Studies (RRS) at San Francisco State University. Dr. Zahzah holds a B.A. in Comparative World Literature and Creative Writing from California State University, Long Beach, and an M.A. and PhD in Comparative Literature from the University of California, Los Angeles. A scholar-activist of Lebanese Palestinian descent, Dr. Zahzah is the former Education and Advocacy Coordinator of Eyewitness Palestine and has been an organizer for Palestinian liberation for many years.