Google employees stage sit-ins over firm’s ties with Israel

(MENAFN) Protesting against their company's associations with Israel, Google employees staged sit-ins at two of the tech giant's offices located in California and New York City on Tuesday. The demonstrations were organized by a group called "No Tech For Apartheid," which is advocating for Google and Amazon to terminate their Nimbus contract with the Israeli government and military.

In Sunnyvale, California, protesters vowed to maintain their sit-in until Google terminates its USD1.2 billion contract with Amazon, which would involve providing cloud services and data centers to Israel for the Nimbus project. The protest activities were broadcasted live on the group's Twitch channel, allowing wider visibility for their cause.

Approximately 10 hours into the demonstrations, police arrested groups of employees in both New York and California, as reported by the group on X. The timing of the protests coincides with Israel's ongoing offensive in the Gaza Strip, which has resulted in nearly 34,000 casualties since October 7th.

The Nimbus project encompasses a cloud and machine learning system designed to facilitate data storage, collection, analysis, motif identification, and prediction capabilities. A USD1.2 billion contract for the project was inked in April 2021 between Israel and tech giants Google and Amazon. Israel's announcement revealed that Google and Amazon had won the substantial state tender, enabling Israel to establish local cloud storage server centers.

The system's functionalities extend to the collection of various data sources from Israel and its military, including databases, resources, and real-time observation sources like street and drone cameras. Critics argue that the implementation of the Nimbus project could perpetuate Israel's apartheid-like system, characterized by oppression, domination, and the segregation of Palestinian people.

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