Israel Implements Facial Recognition Program in Gaza Strip Amid Controversy

Israel has recently introduced a large-scale facial recognition initiative in the Gaza Strip, aiming to identify members of Hamas. Developed by Corsight, a company based in Tel Aviv, the system has faced criticism for its frequent inaccuracies.

Deployment of Facial Recognition Initiative in Gaza

Israel has implemented a large-scale facial recognition initiative, compiling a database of Palestinians without their awareness or consent. Launched in response to the October 7th attacks, the program utilizes technology from Google Photos and a specialized tool from Corsight to pinpoint individuals associated with Hamas.

The development of the facial recognition system coincided with Israel's military operations in Gaza. Members of Unit 8200, the primary intelligence unit of the Israeli Defense Forces, utilized security camera footage and social media videos uploaded by Hamas to identify potential targets.

Soldiers also solicited information from Palestinian detainees to identify Hamas affiliates within their communities. Utilizing its touted technology capable of identifying with less than 50 percent of their face visible, Corsight developed facial recognition for individuals for Israeli officers stationed in Gaza, leveraging the photos obtained.

To expand the database and pinpoint potential targets, The New York Times reported that the Israeli military established checkpoints fitted with facial recognition cameras along key routes used by Palestinians moving southward. The objective was to compile a "hit list" of individuals involved in the October 7th attack.

​​Concerns Over Accuracy, Ethical Implications

Corsight's technology exhibited inconsistencies, particularly when analyzing low-quality footage or images where individuals' faces were obscured. There were instances where Corsight's tool incorrectly identified individuals as having ties to Hamas.

For instance, Palestinian poet Mosab Abu Toha was apprehended at an Israeli military checkpoint on Gaza's central highway in mid-November while attempting to depart Gaza for Egypt with his family.

Abu Toha was flagged by the system as being listed among wanted individuals by Israeli authorities. Subsequently, he was detained, subjected to physical assault, and interrogated for two days before being released back to Gaza without explanation.

Israeli military personnel have augmented Corsight's technology with Google Photos, a free-to-use platform. Intelligence operatives have uploaded databases containing information on "known persons" to Google Photos and leveraged its photo search feature for additional identification purposes.

Notably, an officer highlighted Google Photos' capability to recognize individuals even with minimal facial visibility, positioning it superior to other tools like Corsight.

Aaron Ashkenazi, the founder and managing partner of Awz Ventures, a Canadian fund that spearheaded Corsight's $5 million funding round in 2020, articulated this stance in an op-ed for The Jerusalem Post in October.

In his article, Ashkenazi stated that Awz Ventures aimed to equip Israel "with the technological tools to thwart these malicious terrorists." It's noteworthy that the majority of companies within Awz's investment portfolio operate in the fields of artificial intelligence and cybersecurity.

In October, Israeli hospitals initiated the utilization of Corsight's technology for patient identification, as reported by Forbes during that period. Corsight's technology demonstrated the capability to capture images of individuals whose facial features had been altered due to physical injuries and then match them with photos provided by concerned relatives."

Corsight primarily focuses on applications in government, law enforcement, and military sectors. In 2020, the nascent company claimed its technology could identify individuals even when wearing masks.

Fast forward two years, Corsight purportedly began developing a tool capable of generating a facial model based on a person's DNA.