WhatsApp Allegedly Used to Target Palestinians Through Israel’s AI System Lavender, Linked to Civilian Deaths in Gaza

The use of WhatsApp in targeting Palestinians through Israel’s Lavender AI system has sparked international outrage and raised questions about the role of messaging platforms in supporting such operations. The revelation, exposed by journalist Yuval Abraham and corroborated by Israeli intelligence officers, has shed light on the potential complicity of Meta, WhatsApp’s parent company, in these controversial practices.

Software engineer and activist Paul Biggar highlighted the troubling implications of Lavender’s reliance on WhatsApp, pointing out how being in a group with a suspected militant could lead to deadly consequences. He accused Meta of potentially violating international humanitarian law and questioned the company’s commitment to human rights, privacy, and encryption.

This latest development is part of a pattern of perceived bias by Meta in favor of Israel, with previous actions such as considering the expansion of hate speech policies and introducing features to limit exposure to political content drawing criticism for silencing pro-Palestinian voices.

While a WhatsApp spokesperson stated that the company could not verify the accuracy of the report, they reassured that WhatsApp does not provide bulk information to any government and does not have backdoors. As the controversy continues to unfold, the role of tech companies in conflicts like the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is being scrutinized, raising important ethical and legal questions.