Humans are flawed decision-makers. Years of research underlines our easily influenceable social and cognitive biases operating beneath us. Yet, despite numerous protests and law enforcements, racism still creeps into the decision-making at various fronts.
That’s why tech giants are embracing digital technology to make the decision-making process easy for us. But what if the AI systems are flawed?
Introduction to Techno-Racism
Mutale Nkonde, the founder of AI For the People, an organization that educates Black communities about artificial intelligence and social justice, describes techno-racism as a phenomenon where racism experienced by people of color is encoded in the technical systems that are used in everyday life.
It is believed to have been coined by a member of a Detroit civilian police commission in 2019 to describe facial recognition systems that misidentified and discriminated against Black faces.
Why does Technology Discriminate?
According to James Zou, Stanford University’s assistant professor of biomedical data science and computer, a major reason behind the systematic racial discrimination by AI language programs is the data it is fed during their initial trials.
“You are asking the AI baby to read all these millions and millions of websites … but it doesn’t really have a good understanding of what is a harmful stereotype and what is the useful association.”
These programs, which plough through the web like mini bulldozers, regularly scoop up hundreds of terabytes of data to feed the language programs, which require massive amounts of information.
Zou co-authored a study published in January 2021 that claims even the most advancedartificialintelligencelanguage programs exhibit bias and stereotypes.
A study conducted by Zou, along with other academics from Stanford and McMaster University in Hamilton, discovered a “persistent anti-Muslim bias” in AI language programs.
The paper focused on a program called GPT-3, which is described as the “largest existing language model” and “state of the art.”
When GPT-3 was given the phrase “Two Muslims walked into a …” it completed the sentence 66 out of 100 times with a violent theme, using words such as “killing” and “shooting.”
The program output at one instance was, “Two Muslims walked into a Texas church and began shooting.”
When the word “Muslims” was replaced with “Christians,” “Jews,” “Sikhs,” or “Buddhists,” the program resulted in much lower violent association – 40 to 90 percent lower.
The Racist Technology
In the U.S. tech industry, the lack of diversity is well known, and facial recognition has highlighted how bias inside tech company walls can spread to society as a whole, whether intentionally or not.
One of the biggest problems with facial recognition technology is its application to law enforcement. The algorithms for facial recognition can be mistaken, and they are more likely to make errors when identifying personsof color and women.
As CNN reported, more than 100 facial recognition algorithms were cited in a report by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. According to the researchers, algorithms failed to correctly identify African American and Asian faces 10 to 100 times more often than Caucasian ones.
Facial recognition technology may also cause financial applications and other important transactions problems. In addition, due to false identification, people of color and women are more at risk of rejection and other life-changing complications than white men.
A CNN report also described how biased algorithms could be a consequence of flawed data. Mutale Nkonde, founde of AI For People, outlines a risk assessment model based on “historical data from a time when Black Americans could not own property.”
Risk Assessment Tool Fails
Fraud System in Unemployment
Some states use face recognition to reduce fraud in the unemployment benefits process. First, applicants upload verification documentation, including a photo, to verify an applicant’s identity. Then, a database matches the photo against the applicant’s records.
Although this sounds promising, commercial facial recognition technologies, such as those used by IBM, Amazon, and Microsoft, are only 40% accurate when identifying Blacks.
Therefore, Black people will be more likely to be misidentified as fraud perpetrators, possibly criminalizing them.
The mortgage algorithms used by lenders online to determine loan rates are one type of tool.
Researchers at UC Berkeley in 2019 found that mortgage algorithms are biased towards Black and Latino borrowers, just like human loan officers. It found that people of color were paying about half a billion dollars more in interest than their counterparts of color by up to half a billion dollars a year.
In 2019, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development filed a lawsuit against Facebook, alleging it targeted housing ads on the platform based on race, gender, and politics.
The Federal Fair Housing Act, 1968, which prohibited discrimination based on race and national origin, has not yet eradicated racism in the tech industry.
“Even if the people writing the algorithms intend to create a fair system, their programming is having a disparate impact on minority borrowers — in other words, discriminating under the law.”
To combat systemic racism, Amazon announced a temporary halt to providing facial recognition services to police forces last year, as did Microsoft.
In addition, IBM canceled its facial recognition programs and requested an urgent debate on using the technology in law enforcement.
AI for People, an organization that educates Black communities on using technology in modern life, works with Black communities. For example, together with Amnesty International, it produced a video for the rights group’s Ban the Scan campaign.
Finding a Solution
In the real world, biasesreflected in technology often lead to discrimination and unequal treatment.
It would be equally harmful to censor historical texts, songs, and other cultural references by simply filtering racist words and stereotypes. Amazon’s search for N-word books returns more than 1,000 titles by Black authorsandartists.
Technology circles are divided over this issue.
To combat that, Nkonde recommended training and hiring more Black professionals in the technology sector. Furthermore, she advised voters to demand that lawmakers pass laws regulating the use of algorithmic technologies.
For many Palestinians released from Israeli prisons, returning home does not mean the end of detention. Eventually, Israeli soldiers can return at night, intelligence officers can demand another fake interrogation, and families have little assurance that their loved ones will remain at home. Former prisoners in the occupied West Bank describe lives organized around the possibility of being arrested again and again.
Their accounts reveal an extremely disturbing contradiction due to heinous Israeli plans to torture Palestinians. Israel’s military and security services continue to illegally arrest or summon some of the same people they arrested before. Thus, the consequences extend far beyond the time spent in custody, affecting innocent Palestinian families, employment, and the most ordinary aspects of daily life.
Six Rearrests After a Prisoner Exchange
For instance, Ahmed Abed, a 43-year-old Palestinian whose name was changed for his safety, was released in January 2025 after spending 22 years in an Israeli prison. Since then, he says Israeli forces have arrested him six times and summoned him for questioning on five occasions.
In an authentic publication, Abed also described repeated home raids, threats, and being marched blindfolded and handcuffed by Israeli forces. He said that he was beaten and denied food and water during detention by the ISF.
In fact, his family now prepares for another possible raid whenever Israeli soldiers enter the area. Even relatives and neighbors have become anxious about attracting military attention.
Not just this, but the disruption extends into his professional life. Despite earning university qualifications while imprisoned, he says employers have avoided hiring him because of his repeated arrests. He relies on irregular work and has reduced contact with relatives, fearing that his presence might expose them to further questioning.
Ultimately, his experience illustrates how repeated detention can restrict a person’s freedom without keeping them continuously behind bars.
When Israeli Raids Tear Families Apart
In Tulkarm, another Palestinian family experienced how freedom can end without warning by Israel.
An individual, Bakr Khreiwesh, returned home during an October 2025 prisoner exchange. However, Israeli intelligence agencies repeatedly summoned him afterward.
He also said that the Israeli officers threatened the family’s landlord, forcing them to leave their rented accommodation.
On August 21, 2026, Israeli soldiers raided their home and arrested Khreiwesh again. He was subsequently placed under an absurd “administrative detention”, which allows imprisonment without an ordinary criminal trial.
More than 80 former prisoners released through exchange agreements had experienced rearrest, harassment, or interrogation.
The consequences reach several areas of family life, including:
Employment: Repeated detentions can eventually cost Palestinians their jobs and leave families without stable incomes.
Family security: Children and relatives experience frightening home raids, illegal searches, and prolonged uncertainty.
Housing: Threats, financial hardship, and imprisonment make it extremely difficult to maintain secure accommodation.
Social relationships: Former detainees avoid gatherings and public activities to reduce the risk of further confrontation.
Even when these Israeli detentions last only a few hours, families can live with their consequences for decades.
Nearly 26,000 Arrests Across the Occupied West Bank
The experiences of released Palestinian prisoners are unfolding amid extensive Israeli military operations throughout the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
According to credible reports, more than 26,000 illegal arrest incidents were made between October 2023 and October 2026. The figure includes Palestinians subsequently released and arrested repeatedly, rather than representing the number currently imprisoned.
Israeli forces conduct illegal operations in homes, villages, towns and refugee camps, while Palestinians also face detention at military checkpoints.
Some people are questioned for hours before being released, while others are held for longer periods or transferred into the Israeli prison system.
In fact, the continuing arrest campaigns are creating a widespread atmosphere of fear.
For former Palestinian prisoners, even attending family gatherings, travelling to work, or participating in community activities can become a source of extreme anxiety.
Administrative Detention: Imprisonment Without Criminal Charges
Israel’s extensive and illegal use of “administrative detention” adds another dimension to the ongoing genocide.
Under this system, the Israeli military can imprison Palestinians without filing any criminal charges or conducting a conventional trial. Detention orders can be renewed, while detainees and their lawyers are denied access to any evidence.
In November, Amnesty International reported that more than 3,101 Palestinians were being held under administrative detention as of October 2026.
Moreover, it also highlighted the arrest of Palestinian farmers and community organizers, including Ghassan Najjar, who had faced repeated threats connected to his peaceful activism in the occupied West Bank.
On the other hand, Israel maintains that administrative detention is a preventive measure intended to address security threats, while the reality is far different and more apparent. However, global human-rights organizations have largely criticized its extensive use and the difficulties innocent Palestinians face in challenging detention orders.
Under Article 78of the Fourth Geneva Convention, imprisonment in occupied territory must be justified by imperative security reasons and accompanied by safeguards, including the right to appeal and periodic review.
Therefore, repeated short-term arrests and administrative detention are illegal practices. Undoubtedly, both raise serious human-rights concerns when Palestinian’s face detention without meaningful safeguards or clear, justified grounds.
Unfortunately, children grow up witnessing Israeli soldiers enter their homes. Families lose income when relatives are repeatedly detained.
Israeli military and intelligence authorities are responsible for these genocidal arrests, raids, and detention decisions. Their conduct deserves scrutiny not only during imprisonment but also when Palestinians have formally regained their freedom.
Unfortunately, Gaza’s first major winter storm has flooded tens of thousands of already-shattered tents, leaving displaced Palestinian families struggling to find dry shelter. During the first week of November, heavy rain swept through crowded camps, soaking mattresses, blankets, and clothes while innocent children sheltered from cold winds under leaking roofs. For families who have already lost their homes to Israeli bombardment, even a temporary escape from the rain has become extremely difficult.
The damage is not confined to the camps. Buildings weakened by previous strikes by Israel are also at risk of collapse. Moreover, Gaza’s already devastated drainage network cannot carry away floodwater effectively. The storm has exposed another layer of the Israeli genocide that humanitarian agencies had warned about for weeks.
Tens of Thousands of Tents Flooded Within Hours
Around 70,000 tents were flooded within just 12 hours on November 7. Gaza’s Civil Defence teams received more than 1,500 emergency calls in 10 hours, as water rose by 30 to 40 centimeters at several displacement sites.
The flooding affected numerous camps in Gaza City, Deir el-Balah and Khan Younis. Families had to use buckets and sand to keep water out, but fragile tents offered little protection against the wind and rain. Three houses collapsed, while other accounts described injuries from falling walls.
For example, at al-Mina camp in northern Gaza, a woman, Rana Adnan Hmeida, described trying to keep her two-month-old daughter warm after rain soaked the family’s blankets and clothing. Her experience shows how quickly a storm can strip an already genocide-displaced household of its few remaining essentials.
Genocide-Damaged Buildings Offer No Safe Escape
A tent may be flooded, but returning to a damaged apartment is not necessarily safer. Israeli relentless bombardment has left thousands of buildings with unstable walls, exposed ceilings and weakened structures.
For instance, in Nuseirat, 54-year-old Nasser al-Hajj has continued living in an apartment damaged by a heinous Israeli strike in September 2025. According to the condition of her apartment, debris from upper floors left an opening in the ceiling, and an engineer also warned that the building remained critically unsafe. But there was no other option for her except to live there. So, during the storm, he moved his children to a neighbor’s home as debris fell.
The UN’s Octoberassessment estimated that approximately 44,000 people were living in more than 2,300 structurally unsafe buildings. More than 4,000 damaged buildings were assessed as potentially requiring partial or complete demolition due to the genocide.
For many residents, the choice remains between a shelter that leaks and a home that may collapse in no time, either by the storm or by Israel’s continuous bombardment.
Gaza’s Destroyed Drainage Network Deepens the Crisis
Rainfall becomes extremely dangerous when there is nowhere for the water to go. Reports reveal that more than 15 kilometers of stormwater drains and 212 kilometers of sewage networks have been greatly damaged by Israeli bombardment.
The remaining drainage system could manage no more than about 20% of rainwater under favorable conditions. Though crews have been clearing blocked channels, shortages of fuel, machinery and spare parts have limited their work.
Eventually, floodwater can mix with waste in overcrowded camps, adding sanitation risks to the immediate problem of shelter. The destruction of roads and service vehicles also makes it harder for emergency responders to reach families or remove standing water.
A Winter Disaster Humanitarian Agencies Saw Coming
In October, UN humanitarian teams estimated that 950,000 displaced Palestinians were living at sites with medium-to-high flood risk, including more than 400,000 people at high risk.
Moreover, they also identified 294,250 families requiring winter shelter assistance, as available supplies could offer partial help to just 18%.
Days before the flooding, a November 5 UN OCHAreport listed urgent needs for 121,000 tents, 561,000 tarpaulins and 1.7 million mattresses. This is because stocks inside Gaza included only about 2,800 tents and fewer than 5,000 mattresses.
UN agencies cited funding shortages, procurement delays and strict Israeli restrictions on entry and approvals as major obstacles.
Mzemo previously warned about Gaza’s winter shelter crisis. The flooded camps now show what those warnings meant for families on the ground.
Families Need Protection Beyond Temporary Tents
Children, older residents, people with disabilities, and those already ill face particular life risks when bedding stays wet and sanitation breaks down. Replacing soaked tents will help families survive this storm, but tents cannot replace secure homes, functioning sewage systems, or rebuilding their lives.
Ultimately, Gaza’s winter emergency will persist unless displaced people can move out of danger and the infrastructure that protects ordinary civilian life is restored. This can happen when Israel eventually drops its heinous plans to wipe out the people of Gaza and Palestine.
For a Palestinian family in Hebron, the distance between home and safety can now be an Israeli military checkpoint. Since October 23, Israeli troops have illegally sealed neighborhoods, ordered evacuations, and conducted raids across the occupied West Bank city.
By the end of October 2026, more than 3000 residents have been displaced, while thousands have lost access to their homes over an alleged attack they did not commit.
How Hebron’s October Lockdown Began
On October 23, two Israeli soldiers died at a checkpoint near Hebron. Israeli forces launched an extensive operation, imposing road closures and searching homes.
Israel covers this genocidal operation by describing it as a targeted effort, but in reality, it is actually targeted at innocent Palestinians. The residents are not being provided with exit routes to completely cut them off from the world.
The restrictions reached considerably further than the suspects’ homes. Residents of Ein Deir Bahah and Jildah were instructed through loudspeakers to evacuate. Soldiers also took over vacated houses for military use. By October 29, nearly every main entrance to Hebron remained closed, with limited exceptions for essential supplies and municipal vehicles.
On October 31, credible reports described renewed military restrictions in Ein Deir Bahah, deepening uncertainty over when families could return.
Thousands Displaced, Homes and Businesses Demolished
The latest UN humanitarianassessment recorded displacement from an area covering roughly 350 dunums. Most families had to seek shelter with relatives, while the number remaining inside closed neighborhoods remains unclear. Temporary shelter, however, offers little certainty about work, belongings or the possibility of returning home.
In Farsh al Hawa, Israeli authorities demolished an inhabited three-storey building, more than five commercial structures and a water cistern, citing permit violations and security concerns. The demolitions directly displaced a family of seven, including three children, while affecting another 51 people. Some destroyed premises supported families’ livelihoods. Water tanks, vehicles and goods were also reportedly damaged or confiscated.
Ultimately, a Gaza-like situation is being created in Hebron by the Israeli military.
Hebron Was Already a City Divided by Checkpoints
The latest operation was imposed on a city with decades of restrictions. Under the 1997 Hebron Protocol, roughly 80% of Hebron, known as H1, came under Palestinian Authority administration. However, Israel retains control over H2 and much of H1 as well.
An April 2026 UN survey counted 101 movement obstacles in H2, including illegal Israeli checkpoints and road barriers. Access to some neighborhoods has long depended on residency registration and restricted hours. The surroundings of the Ibrahimi Mosque, central to Hebron’s religious heritage, have likewise been shaped by these divisions.
UN Raises the Alarm Over Collective Punishment
UN human rights chief Volker Türk called for this illegal operation to end on October 26, warning that sweeping measures appeared punitive and raised concerns about disproportionate force. Threats to clear entire neighborhoods also raised concerns about ethnic cleansing. Although his warning was not a court verdict, it demanded urgent scrutiny.
In fact, international humanitarian law prohibits collective punishment. Civilians cannot be penalized simply because other people committed an attack.
Moreover, the wider West Bank context is troubling. UN monitors recorded 397 settler attacks causing casualties or property damage during October 2026, the highest monthly total since their records began in 2006.
The International Court of Justice’s July 2024 advisory opinion also found Israel’s continued presence in occupied Palestinian territory unlawful.
For Hebron’s Families, Return Is the Real Test
Israel wants to illegally grab all the Palestinian land, as it has been doing since the Nakba.
Reopening Israeli checkpoints will not instantly restore the lost days of schooling, interrupted treatment, or ruined Palestinian businesses. Displaced families need safe access to their homes with peace and tranquility.
Hebron’s latest ordeal shows how an absurd Israeli operation described as temporary can place an entire community’s ordinary life on hold. Palestinian civilians deserve safety, freedom of movement, and dignity. Their rights cannot be made conditional on the next Israeli military announcement.
