Report: Israel use of facial recognition to monitor Hebron Palestinians raises human rights concerns

The use of facial recognition and other AI tools and techniques by Israel's defence forces to monitor Palestinians violates their basic rights, according to a 82-page report by human rights organisation Amnesty.

Israel was found to be using AI-based surveillance technologies including 'Red Wolf', a facial recognition system installed at checkpoints which automatically dentifies Palestinians, and 'Blue Wolf', a smartphone-based facial recognition tool rolled out late 2020 that performs much the same function across Hebron and east Jerusalem. 

The two systems link to 'Wolf Pack', a database containing profiles of Palestinians in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, including photographs, family histories, education, and security ratings. 

Wolf Pack enables Israeli soldiers to identify and detain Palestinians before they have presented their ID cards, and allows Israel to 'consolidate existing practices of discriminatory policing, segregation, and curbing freedom of movement,' Amnesty said.