Cyber Surveillance and Data Violence in Palestine: Protection, Practice, and Legality

  • Panel
  • Le Baixu
  • Thursday 22.05 — 10:30 - 11:45

Organising Institution

Örebro University

Sweden

  • Academic 3
  • Business 3
The use of technologies in situations of armed conflicts and belligerent occupation continues to lead to social and legal instabilities and aggravated violations. This panel highlights the issues pertaining to the status of Palestinians under Israeli AI-enhanced surveillance and their effects on fundamental rights. In doing so, this session will discuss the use of AI-enhanced systems to track Palestinians, systematizing massive surveillance and automating harsh restrictions to their rights and freedoms as part of a structural conduct of oppression. The session also discusses the role of social media platforms in facilitating digital control leading to authoritarian and genocidal surveillant assemblage, destruction of cyber infrastructure and data violence. This session, finally, explores the legality of such conduct under the applicable rules and norms of international law.

Questions to be answered

  1. What is the status of Palestinians, the occupied people, under the Israel’s AI-enhanced surveillance, the occupying power?
  2. How do AI-enhance surveillance and data control affect the Palestinians' fundamental rights - also considering gender issues?
  3. How do digital control and destruction of cyber infrastructure lead to surveillant assemblage and data violence?
  4. Can these conducts of surveillance and data violence be legally justified and how can the applicable legal framework protect and safeguard fundamental rights in Palestine?

Moderator

Ahmed Qadi

7amleh: The Arab Center for Social Media Advancement - Palestine

Ahmed Qadi is a Monitoring and Documentation Officer at 7amleh - the Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media, Palestine. Previously, he worked as the Databank Coordinator/Researcher at Al-Haq human rights organization. Additionally, he worked as a writer and editor for Metras website on Palestinian issues.

Speaker

Fabio Cristiano

Utrecht University - Netherlands

Fabio Cristiano is an Assistant Professor in Conflict Studies at Utrecht University, the Netherlands. He is a critical security scholar whose research explores the making of international conflict in/through cyberspace, focusing primarily on questions related to automation and non-human agency (AI); violence; socio-technical knowledge production; sovereignty/territoriality; and digital rights.

Speaker

Özgün Topak

York University - Canada

Özgün Topak is an Associate Professor at the Department of Social Science, York University, Canada. He is an interdisciplinary social scientist of surveillance, migration and authoritarianism. His current research focuses on two themes: 1) Forced migration, borders, violence and surveillance, and 2) Authoritarian surveillance and primarily interested in the Global South/East contexts.

Speaker

Mais Qandeel

Örebro University - Sweden

Dr. Mais Qandeel is an Associate Professor of International Law/ Law and Technologies at Örebro University, Sweden, with more than 15 years of experience at national and international human rights organizations/institutions. She holds a Ph.D. in international humanitarian law from the University of Fribourg, Switzerland. Her research focuses on the use of new technologies and legal implications on international law, particularly human rights law and the law of armed conflict. She is the leader of the project ‘Digital Rights Protection in Palestine (2021-2025) funded by the Swedish Research Council.

Speaker

Mohammd Khader

Birzeit University - Palestine

Mohammed Khader is the Director of the Master’s Program in Law and Information Technology at Birzeit University’s Institute of Law and the founder of the Professional Diploma on Investigation Skills in Cyber Financial Crimes. A lecturer, researcher, and practicing lawyer, he specializes in constitutional law, human rights, and digital rights. He played a key role in developing Al-Muqtafi, the Legislation and Judicial Database, and establishing BZU’s Legal Clinic. His work bridges academic research and practical engagement, with publications and teaching covering constitutional law, human rights, legislative drafting, and e-government.