The US State Department has launched a sweeping initiative using AI to scrutinise the social media activity of foreign students. Reports suggest that the Artificial Intelligence will be on a look out for any signs of alleged support for Hamas or other designated terrorist organisations, which will the be used as grounds for deportation. 

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Catch and Revoke

The move is part of a broader crackdown on what the administration deems "pro-Hamas" sentiment, reports Axios.  

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Dubbed "Catch and Revoke," the move marks an unprecedented escalation in the US government's monitoring of foreign nationals' speech and conduct. AI-assisted tools are combing through tens of thousands of student visa holders' online posts, flagging content that expresses sympathy for Hamas. 

What's alarming about this is the fact that even calls for "intifada"—a term used by Palestinians to describe uprisings against Israeli occupation, both armed resistance and non-violent protests can be deemed pro-Hamas.  

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a longtime advocate for tighter immigration controls, has been vocal about his stance. Previously, when he was a senator, he had declared, "We cannot allow foreign nationals who support terrorist groups like Hamas and march in our streets calling for ‘intifada’ to enter or stay in our country."

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How will the system chose who to deport? 

The programme, as per the Axios report citing senior State Department officials, also involves cross-checking visa holders' records with internal government databases, looking for individuals arrested or suspended from US universities during the Biden administration. 

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The officials claimed they "found literally zero visa revocations during the Biden administration." They said, "suggests a blind eye attitude toward law enforcement."  

Federal agencies, including the Justice and Homeland Security Departments, have joined forces in a "whole of government and whole of authority approach" to implement the crackdown. Reports indicate that some of the intelligence-gathering extends to monitoring news articles and lawsuits from Jewish students alleging antisemitic activity on campus. 

Anti-Israeli protests damp down 

For many student visa holders, the chilling effect has already set in, suggest reports. Concerns over government surveillance have prompted some to avoid protests critical of Israel altogether, fearing potential repercussions. Civil rights advocates warn that the crackdown is a dangerous infringement on free speech.  

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"This should concern all Americans," said Abed Ayoub, head of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, as quoted  in the report. This is a First Amendment and freedom of speech issue, and the administration will overplay its hand."  

"Americans won't like this. They'll view this as capitulating free speech rights for a foreign nation," he added.

Ayoub pointed out that this approach echoes Operation Boulder, a controversial 1972 initiative under President Nixon that involved infiltrating pro-Palestinian student groups. However, with AI technology now in play, he said that "it's even scarier because they're policing speech and using faulty technology".  

(With inputs from agencies)