Amnesty International Reveals U.S. Artificial Intelligence Program to Suppress Protesters and Students

In a shocking report released today, August 21, Amnesty International accused U.S. authorities of violating human rights by employing artificial intelligence technologies to monitor migrants and foreign students, in addition to suppressing protesters supporting Palestinians amid escalating protests against the war in Gaza.

Erika Guevara-Rosas, the Director of Research at Amnesty International, confirmed in a statement published yesterday, Wednesday, that the U.S. government is using these technologies as part of a campaign of mass deportation and suppression of pro-Palestinian free speech, leading to repeated human rights violations.

The organization noted that these tools rely on advanced computing technologies from the companies "Palantir" and "Babel Street," which are linked to contracts with the U.S. government, particularly in the fields of defense and intelligence.

These tools include the programs "Babel X" and "Immigration OS," which have automated capabilities for extensive tracking, monitoring, and continuous assessment.

Amnesty International warned that these technologies are targeting foreign students, refugees, and asylum seekers in an unprecedented manner, leading to illegal detentions and mass deportations that create a climate of fear within U.S. schools and universities.

This comes amid a campaign launched by President Donald Trump's administration since last January against U.S. universities, accusing them of allowing pro-Palestinian activities on their campuses, which Trump considered an expression of anti-Semitism.

The measures included cutting research grants, detaining protesters, threatening foreign students with deportation, and halting the review of their visas while scrutinizing their social media accounts.

Foreign students told AFP about their feelings of hesitation and fear about coming to the United States, fearing prosecution for their pro-Palestinian posts or opposition to Trump.

Amnesty International warned that the "Babel X" program uses artificial intelligence for rapid scanning of social media for content classified as "terrorist," but this technology carries a significant margin of error and is often biased and discriminatory, which could distort pro-Palestinian content and portray it as anti-Semitic.

This report highlights the danger of using modern technology to suppress fundamental freedoms and warns of worsening civil rights crises in the United States.