Terms of servitude : Zionism, Silicon Valley, and digital settler colonialism in the Palestinian liberation struggle / Omar Zahzah ; foreword by Steven Salaita.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Zahzah, Omar, Author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Israeli-Palestinian conflict--1993-.

Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Arab-Israeli conflict--1993-.

Arab-Israeli conflict.

Palestinian Arabs--Politics and government--1993-.

Palestinian Arabs.

Settler colonialism.

Social media--Political aspects.

Social media.

Digital media--Political aspects.

Digital media.

Physical Description:

xxii, 282 pages ; 21 cm

Place of Publication:

Ithaca, NY : The Censored Press ; New York, NY : Seven Stories Press, [2025]

Summary:

"Despite their alleged support of free speech and democratic values, tech titans like Meta, Google, and X have become conduits for the promotion of the Zionist colonial project. In Terms of Servitude, Professor Omar Zahzah demonstrates how these digital giants participate in anti-Palestinian oppression through censorship justified by so-called "terms of service" or "community standards." As Al technology and metadata are wielded as tools of suppression, anti-colonial counter-narratives across online platforms become increasingly urgent. Through careful analysis and documentation. Zahzah explores what resistance can and must mean in light of the consolidation of Big Tech with Israeli settler colonialism and genocide." -- back cover

"This groundbreaking book documents how digital platforms and technology companies based in the United States support the Israeli settler-colonial project through censorship. Terms of Servitude demonstrates how social media has become a new tool of anti-Palestinian suppression even though these platforms were initially instrumental in advancing the Palestinian struggle. Features an introduction by Steven Salaita, Professor of English and Comparative Literature at the American University in Cairo. Terms of Servitude explores the paradox whereby prominent digital platforms like Meta, Google, and X that initially facilitated the expression of activism and advocacy for Palestinian liberation have come to fortify Zionist settler-colonialism. Through anti-Palestinian censorship and erasure often justified by so-called "terms of service" or "community standards" violations, these Big Tech companies provide the Israeli occupation forces with AI technology and metadata used to streamline genocidal colonial violence against Palestinians. Through original analysis and careful documentation, Omar Zahzah, Assistant Professor of Arab, Muslim, Ethnicities and Diasporas (AMED) Studies at San Francisco State University, traces the timeline from the Sheikh Jarrah uprisings of 2021 to the beginning of October 2023 to the most current developments to explain social media's role in advancing and suppressing Palestinian narratives. This revealing and alarming book explores what makes anti-colonial counter-narratives across digital platforms so urgent, and what resistance can and must mean in light of the consolidation of Big Tech with Israeli colonialism and genocide"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Foreword / by Steven Salaita

A Note on Process

Preface : Locating Palestine

Introduction : a Series of Failed Silencings

Refusing the Language of Silence

"Formative Years" : My Introduction to Digital Settler Colonialism

Breeding Trolls for the Start-Up Colony : Cyber Warfare in the Age of Hasbara 2.0

AI on Rafah

Meta's Community Standards as a Tool of Digital Settler Colonialism

Kidnapped Posters, X Marks the Spot, and the Weaponization of Identity : Three Case Studies in Digital Settler Colonialism

E-Racing Palestine

Narrative Shifts and Digital Muzzling : Virtual Palestine and the Internet Post Oslo

Why Big Tech's Control of Social Media Cannot Stop Anti-Colonial Resistance

Social Media Giants Repress Palestinian Content

TikTok Ban Sign of US Imperial Anxiety

Campaign Against Project Nimbus Gathers Steam and Supporters

"It's Never Been About Community Standards" : Samidoun Faces Repression on Social Media

Afterword.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Other Format:

Online version Zahzah, Omar Terms of servitude

ISBN:

9781644214800

1644214806

OCLC:

1461832118

Publisher Number:

90102620139