"New York Times": Israel Uses Facial Recognition Technology in Gaza

The American newspaper "New York Times" reported on Thursday that Israel has been using advanced facial recognition technology, supported by AI capabilities, extensively in Gaza since late last year for the purpose of monitoring and tracking Palestinians. The "New York Times" quoted Israeli intelligence officers, military officials, and soldiers as saying that this technology was initially used in Gaza to search for Israelis who were taken hostage by Hamas after the attack on October 7; however, later it was used for mass surveillance of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, where their facial images were collected and stored without their knowledge. Intelligence officials explained that the goal of this facial recognition technology was to root out anyone with connections to Hamas or other armed groups. One officer noted that at times, the technology mistakenly classified civilians as fighters belonging to Hamas. Four intelligence officers reported that the facial recognition program, managed by the Israeli military intelligence unit, relies on technology from a private Israeli company called "CORSIGHT." Additionally, three individuals familiar with the program mentioned that they decided to speak out about this technology because they believe its use is a misuse of time and resources by Israel.