Posted: Nov 9, 2021 18:17 GMT
The device was used in the West Bank city of Hebron, where for two years soldiers used cell phones to take pictures of its inhabitants.
The Israeli Army would be using a facial recognition system of Palestinians in the city of Hebron, West Bank, using it as an instrument of control, publishes The Washington Post, which is based on a series of accounts of former soldiers. “It is a total violation of the privacy of an entire people,” says one of the informants.
The system, dubbed Blue Wolf, was fueled by work done over two years by the military, who used special cell phones to take thousands of photos, even as children. In addition, sources reveal that they were competing to take the most photos and there were even incentives for the unit to get the most images.
According to an ex-military man, this network is so developed that he does not hesitate to describe it as “Facebook” Army secret “for Palestinians”.
They also detailed that the application on their cell phones links each photograph taken with the database, which has a color system – red, yellow and green – to alert whether the person should be detained or not.
The application plugin is a facial recognition camera network installed at checkpoints in Hebron that help soldiers identify Palestinians even before they present their identification cards. Added to this is an even wider network of closed circuit cameras called ‘Hebron Smart City’, which provides real-time information on the movements of the Palestinian population. They even go so far as to record inside the houses.
This surveillance system includes an application called White Wolf, through which data can be obtained on Palestinians arriving in the settlements for work.
“They are always recording us”
A Palestinian who lives in Hebron with his family explained that in his neighborhood cameras were mounted every 90 meters, even on the roofs of homes. “We no longer feel comfortable socializing, because the cameras are always recording us,” he laments.
The information about this surveillance system was provided by two former soldiers who gave interviews to The Washington Post and is supported by the accounts of four others recently discharged – all on condition of anonymity – who gave their testimony to Breaking the Silence, a group of lawyers made up of veterans of the Israeli Army who oppose the Israeli occupation.
They also said that, according to the military, this system allows them to increase their capabilities to defend Israel from terrorists.
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