T-shirts worn by Google employees who participated in the sit-in rally on Tuesday. Photo: Maxwell Zeff
More than 10 employees staged a sit-in on the 10th floor of Google’s New York City headquarters to protest Google’s connections to Israel, as reported by organizers from “No Tech for Apartheid” to Gizmodo. This demonstration was accompanied by a continuous sit-in at Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian’s office in Sunnyvale, California. The protesters are urging Google to withdraw from Project Nimbus, a \(1 billion deal. Both Google and Amazon have an existing \)2 billion contract to supply AI and cloud computing services to the Israeli government and military.
In a conversation with Gizmodo, Cheyne Anderson, a Google program engineer and administrator for No Tech For Apartheid, expressed her hope for Google to discontinue Project Nimbus and end all forms of support for the Israeli government. She questioned how businesses could continue operations as usual in light of the reports emerging from Gaza.
Protesters gathered outside Google’s Chelsea office on Tuesday. Photo: Maxwell Zeff
Anderson informed Gizmodo that opposition within Google regarding its ties to the Israeli government is gaining momentum. The Israeli Finance Ministry described Project Nimbus, a collaboration between Google and Amazon, as a comprehensive cloud solution for the country’s defense sector in 2021. The group No Tech for Apartheid is seeking transparency regarding the utilization of Google’s services by the Israeli military. A Google DeepMind scientist recently revealed to Time that cloud service providers often only have access to their government clients’ machines.
Former and current Google employees engaged with a group of protesters in Manhattan on Tuesday. A recent ex-Google employee, who preferred to remain anonymous, recounted to Gizmodo that security personnel at the building asked them to vacate the premises during the sit-in. Despite the request, some protesters remained until forcibly removed.
Eddie Hatfield, a 23-year-old software engineer, was among the speakers who was terminated last month after shouting, “No technology for racism!” at a tech event.
During an interview with Gizmodo, amidst chants from protesters, Hatfield suggested that his dismissal was intended to intimidate his colleagues. He expressed gratitude for the support he has received.
Part of the current opposition by No Tech for Apartheid revolves around the reinstatement of Hatfield. Google clarified that Hatfield was dismissed for allegedly disrupting an employee presentation, not solely for his vocal stance.
According to Anderson, Google’s rationale for Hatfield’s termination underscores a significant ethical discrepancy compared to the issues raised by the organization.
Google has yet to provide a response to Gizmodo’s inquiry.
While there is no concrete evidence linking Google or Amazon’s technologies to civilian casualties, reports from +972 newspaper indicate Israel’s use of an innovative AI program named “Lavender” to target individuals in Gaza. The country has been known to select bombing sites in Gaza through another AI system referred to as “The Gospel” during military operations. Despite the sophisticated technological requirements, the cloud provider responsible for these AI systems remains undisclosed.
Concerns surrounding the ethical use of AI in warfare have led to software initiatives aimed at preventing discriminatory practices. As per a Time report, two employees resigned due to apprehensions about Google’s association with the Israeli government. The role of technology in conflicts, although contentious, remains significant even for employees who may harbor reservations about it.
