Session 2: Global Implications of the Israeli Surveillance State

The Israeli tech sector’s increasing reliance on surveillance technology and spyware has global implications, particularly as more governments around the world borrow from the Israeli playbook and purchase these tools, often for the purpose of spying on dissidents, journalists, and others. The growing question of the spyware industry, as well as its reach and potential use, have prompted concern among many digital rights and free speech advocates, many of whom draw attention to the ways in which these tools might be mobilized against movements for democracy and human rights around the world. Building on our first event in the series, we take an understanding that Israel uses Palestinian communities as a testing ground for surveilliance technologies, and pose the question, what might the rise of the Israeli surveillance state mean for the rest of the world? This expert panel, co-hosted by 7amleh (The Arab Center for Social Media Advancement) and the Middle East Institute, will be part two of a two-part series examining this and other vital questions about this increasingly vital topic.

Speakers: 

Lara Friedman
President of Foundation for Middle East Peace
Twitter: @LaraFriedmanDC

Mona Shtaya
Advocacy Advisor, 7amleh
Twitter: @Monashtayya  

Eliza Campbell, moderator
Director, Cyber Program, MEI
Twitter: @elizaecampbell
 

Partner: 7amleh