DocumentedData Privacy & Regulatory ViolationMay 2, 2023Israel

Amnesty: Israeli 'Red Wolf' Facial Recognition in the West Bank

Amnesty International's May 2023 report 'Automated Apartheid' documented Israeli use of an experimental facial recognition system, Red Wolf, deployed at military checkpoints in the H2 area of Hebron. The system scans Palestinians' faces and adds them to vast surveillance databases (Wolf Pack and Blue Wolf) without consent. The report, based on 2022 field interviews and testimony from current and former Israeli military personnel, framed the deployment as automating restrictions on Palestinian movement.

AI system:Red Wolf, Wolf Pack, Blue Wolf facial recognition systems

Impact

Amnesty concluded that the FR network 'fragments, segregates and controls' Palestinians and 'entrenches apartheid.' Microsoft and other tech vendors faced shareholder and civil-society pressure to divest from related contracts. The report is one of the most cited primary sources on AI surveillance in conflict zones.

Outcome

Israeli government rejected Amnesty's framing. Subsequent investigations by the Washington Post and +972 Magazine identified additional AI-powered targeting and surveillance systems ('Lavender', 'The Gospel') used during the 2023-2024 Gaza war. UN Special Rapporteurs cited the Amnesty findings in submissions to the Human Rights Council.

Sources

  1. Source 1Amnesty Internationalwww.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2023/05/israel-opt-israeli-authorities-are-using-facial-recognition-technology-to-entrench-apartheid/
  2. Source 2Haaretzwww.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-05-02/ty-article/.highlight/israel-using-facial-recognition-tech-to-entrench-apartheid-amnesty-intl-says/00000187-db8a-d9b4-abaf-fbbe6c080000
  3. Source 3Democracy Now!www.democracynow.org/2023/5/4/automated_apartheid_amnesty_report_israel_palestine
  4. Source 4ReliefWeb (UN OCHA)reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/automated-apartheid-how-facial-recognition-fragments-segregates-and-controls-palestinians-opt-enar

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