Digital Rights Weekly Update: 27 June - 3 July

Internet Access Is a Lifeline for Us in Gaza — So Israel Attacked It

Truthout

On June 8, Israeli forces bombed the core internet infrastructure in both the north and south of Gaza. The Strip went dark. We were cut off completely. No messages in, no messages out. It didn’t end with internet blackouts. Israel jammed all telecommunications. For us, the internet wasn’t a luxury — it was a lifeline, a way to transfer funds during the liquidity crisis, a fragile system holding back hunger. When even that collapsed, desperation surged. 

Project Esther: A Dangerous Blueprint for Censoring Palestine

CAIR

Project Esther was developed in 2024 by the Heritage Foundation, a prominent right-wing think tank also responsible for authoring Project 2025. It states, in part, that it “provides a blueprint to counter antisemitism in the United States and ensure the security and prosperity of all Americans.” However, its real goal is far more sinister. Project Esther is a blueprint for the federal government and private institutions to discredit and dismantle the Palestine solidarity movement in the U.S.

Digital rights under threat: Global majority communities call for inclusive solutions at IGF 2025

DigWatch

At the Internet Governance Forum 2025 in Lillestrøm, Norway, a pivotal session hosted by Oxfam’s RECIPE Project shed light on the escalating digital rights challenges facing communities across the Global majority. Representatives from Vietnam, Bolivia, Cambodia, Somalia, and Palestine presented sobering findings based on research with over 1,000 respondents across nine countries. Despite the diversity of regions, speakers echoed similar concerns: digital literacy is dangerously low, access to safe and inclusive online spaces remains unequal, and legal protections for digital rights are often absent or underdeveloped.

Gaza as a testing ground: Israel’s AI warfare

Daily Sabah

A new kind of war is taking place in Gaza, one led not just by missiles and drones, but by computer algorithms. The Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research's (SETA) report “Deadly Algorithms: Destructive Role of Artificial Intelligence in Gaza War” reveals a disturbing reality: Israel’s growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in military operations is changing how wars are fought. In this new model, machines, not people, decide who lives and who dies. This shift is causing more civilian deaths and breaking international laws meant to protect innocent lives during conflict. The main point of the report is clear: Israel’s use of AI in war has removed human judgment from many decisions, especially in Gaza. High-tech systems like Lavender and Habsora are being used to identify targets and carry out attacks. But this process, led by machines, often fails to tell the difference between civilians and fighters, leading to devastating results.