UN Accused of Siding with Big Tech Over Gaza Genocide

More than 70 protesters, including current and former Google employees, staged a powerful demonstration at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on Monday to demand an end to the UN's platforming of tech companies supplying artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to the Israeli military.

The protest-organized by the No Tech for Apartheid campaign-called on the UN to cut ties with corporations accused of enabling what they describe as a genocide in Gaza.

Clad in politically expressive clothing-some with Arabic script-the protesters chanted and held signs reading "No AI for Genocide," referencing AI-powered tools and surveillance systems reportedly used by the Israeli military in its operations across Gaza. According to eyewitnesses, UN security officers attempted to coerce demonstrators into removing garments bearing political messages and targeted individuals wearing Arabic text, raising concerns of racial and political profiling.

Despite being forcibly removed from the building, protesters regrouped outside and continued their picket, calling for the UN to enact the recommendations of a recent report issued by United Nations Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese. The report, published earlier this month, details how major technology corporations-Google, Amazon, Microsoft, HP, IBM, and Palantir-have directly contributed to Israel's illegal occupation and ongoing assault on Gaza through their cloud computing, surveillance, and AI capabilities.

Albanese's report has drawn international attention and political backlash. Rather than defend their appointed legal expert, the UN has distanced itself from her findings. Meanwhile, the U.S. government has imposed sanctions on Albanese for exposing the role of big tech in facilitating war crimes.

Ironically, just days after the report's release, the United Nations held its annual AI for Good Summit in Geneva-featuring and honoring executives from the very companies Albanese implicated. Activists say this event whitewashed the reputations of corporations complicit in serious human rights violations, allowing them to polish their global image while remaining unaccountable for their role in the mass killing of Palestinians.

"How can the UN claim to stand for human rights while rewarding those fueling occupation and war?" asked Noor Khalil, a former Google employee and protester. "These companies are building systems that enable mass surveillance and automated targeting-tools that are now being used against an entire population."

For years, tech workers within Google and Amazon have organized against corporate contracts with the Israeli military, particularly under the controversial Project Nimbus, a $1.2 billion cloud computing deal with the Israeli government. Workers say their efforts to raise ethical concerns have been met with retaliation and silence from company leadership.

The protest at the UN is part of a growing global demand for accountability-not only from governments but also from corporations profiting from war.

Human rights advocates and Palestinian solidarity groups are now urging the UN to stop enabling tech corporations complicit in the crisis. They are calling on UN leadership to:

• Publicly endorse the findings of Albanese's report
• Cut ties with tech companies involved in Israeli military operations
• End events that sanitize the role of big tech in conflict zones
• Defend their legal experts from politically motivated sanctions

"Instead of protecting war profiteers, the UN must uphold its own mandate to safeguard international law and human rights," said Zayn Malik, a Palestinian rights organizer who attended the protest. "Now is the time for moral clarity, not corporate alliances."

As the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza worsens, and Israeli bombing causes more killing & mayhem, the silence-or complicity-of global institutions grows louder. Protesters like those at the UN yesterday are demanding not just attention, but action.