I follow Western journalism and media, both written and visual, out of a desire to understand how they handle various global issues, including the Palestinian conflict with the occupying Israeli entity. The Western media's coverage of this issue often exhibits a double standards - by comparing their reactions to similar global conflicts - and systematic falsification aimed at distorting facts to support the oppressor and occupier, the Israeli entity. This is not to generalise, as there are Western efforts by individuals and political and humanitarian organisations that adhere to journalistic integrity.
The falsification has reached the point of publishing fake images using artificial intelligence technologies, such as fabricating a video clip of the bombing of the Al Mamdani Hospital in Gaza, which was bombed by the occupying entity. Israel tried to deny this heinous crime and attribute it to the Palestinian resistance. However, the video Israel published was proven to be fake and altered, exposing the falsehood of the Israeli narrative and confirming their commission of the crime and deliberate lying. Similarly, claims of the Palestinian resistance burning an Israeli child and publishing a photo of a charred child's body were later debunked as fake, created using AI technologies and originally a photo of a 'dog'. American political activist Jackson Hinkle was among the first to point out the falsification of this image by comparing it to the original.
Hinkle, like others in the West and East who defend the Palestinian cause, has faced and continues to face pressures from government and private institutions supporting the Israeli entity. This resulted in the shutdown of his YouTube channel, which had over 300,000 followers, and actions like The Guardian's dismissal of British cartoonist Steve Bell for drawing a satirical cartoon of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, disregarding the values of freedom of speech advocated by the West.
The role of smart technologies is not limited to falsifying images and videos but extends to introducing "self-serving" AI algorithms on various social media platforms like those owned by Meta (Instagram, Facebook, and Threads) and Google's YouTube. These platforms are among the most supportive of the occupying entity through their intelligent algorithms designed to selectively filter content and ban specific accounts based on political or religious orientations, reflecting these platforms' ethical double standards, bias, and lack of freedom of expression. These policies, influenced by the pressures from some Western governments, aim to sway public opinion in favour of the Western stance that supports the existence and victory of the occupying entity, even at the expense of the Palestinian cause and the oppression and killing of its people. This strategy has been relatively successful on most social media platforms mentioned earlier and relatively unsuccessful on others like the X platform (formerly Twitter), where owner Elon Musk has adhered to principles of free speech and neutrality despite pressures from some Western governments.
In any case, this behaviour by some social media platforms is expected, especially in military conflicts. The West is concerned with its political and economic interests, partly tied to the existence and dominance of the Israeli entity, among other historical reasons. These platforms, owned by Western companies, have no choice but to follow the policies of their governments and owners. The policies of supporting the occupying entity are not limited to this aspect; channels like Al Aqsa TV, which supports the Palestinian cause and reports on its events, have been shut down by stopping their broadcast via the Eutelsat satellite following pressures from the French government.
The impact of smart technologies on the course of these events and their influence on public engagement is evident. However, we have not lost the counter-efforts that strive to convey the true picture and expose all forms of falsification. It's crucial that such digitally influenced events guide our directions in digital and technological investments and redefine our understanding of the importance of these technologies. Nations committed to human justice should allocate a special place for developing independent smart technologies like social media platforms, satellites, cloud computing, and AI systems. Achieving this requires a comprehensive and serious development of education at all levels, attention to and generous support for scientific research, encouragement for establishing digital and technological companies, and supporting them.
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