1/ The Zionism Observer genocide archival project is 1 year old today.
A year ago I asked myself what a software developer could do for Palestine, in the face of a genocide. A year ago, I founded a "startup" dedicated to memory and accountability for the Zionist genocide.
Some thoughts, after a year. 🧵
A year ago I asked myself what a software developer could do for Palestine, in the face of a genocide. A year ago, I founded a "startup" dedicated to memory and accountability for the Zionist genocide.
Some thoughts, after a year. 🧵
2/ We have a done a lot of archiving.
Over 12,000 videos of the genocide, over 500 quotes demonstrating genocidal intent, and we made custom maps for over 50 forced displacement orders targeting Gaza, and more.
(Links to archival projects are in the bio.)
Over 12,000 videos of the genocide, over 500 quotes demonstrating genocidal intent, and we made custom maps for over 50 forced displacement orders targeting Gaza, and more.
(Links to archival projects are in the bio.)
3/ We built an amazing core team of archivists.
I could never do all this work myself and I am humbled and honored to have assembled such an amazing team. We are still (carefully) growing.
I could never do all this work myself and I am humbled and honored to have assembled such an amazing team. We are still (carefully) growing.
4/ We built an amazing community, on Twitter and IRL.
This community survived, even as the account unexpectedly grew into the tens of thousands, and the culture of action is still here.
Thank you.
This community survived, even as the account unexpectedly grew into the tens of thousands, and the culture of action is still here.
Thank you.
5/ We created an archival platform.
A live-streamed genocide is something new, and we had to envision and build new types of technology to archive it. The technology is consistently getting more powerful as we add features and fix bugs. But there is still a lot to build.
A live-streamed genocide is something new, and we had to envision and build new types of technology to archive it. The technology is consistently getting more powerful as we add features and fix bugs. But there is still a lot to build.
6/ We have proven that a few dedicated people with skills can do accountability work at scale, when NGOs and nation-states refuse to.
Without a budget, or even a legal entity, we can build accountability. Together.
Without a budget, or even a legal entity, we can build accountability. Together.
7/ We have had some amazing activist successes!
With your help, we deplatformed the IDF's extortion website targeting displaced people in Gaza, 4 times, and the IDF gave up rebuilding it after the last deplatform.
Palestinians in Gaza no longer need to fear the IDF's extortion website.
With your help, we deplatformed the IDF's extortion website targeting displaced people in Gaza, 4 times, and the IDF gave up rebuilding it after the last deplatform.
Palestinians in Gaza no longer need to fear the IDF's extortion website.
8/ We had one pretty big activist failure.
CPJ @pressfreedom never restored the deleted martyrs and continues to deny that Israel is murdering journalists (unless Israel brags about it or non-Palestinians investigate the killing).
We are failing at this.
CPJ @pressfreedom never restored the deleted martyrs and continues to deny that Israel is murdering journalists (unless Israel brags about it or non-Palestinians investigate the killing).
We are failing at this.
@pressfreedom 9/ Another area we are failing at is simplicity.
Our platforms are spread across many domains and can be cumbersome to use, or even understand. This is something we must work on.
Our platforms are spread across many domains and can be cumbersome to use, or even understand. This is something we must work on.
@pressfreedom 10/ What are our plans for the next year? In a word: focus.
We strayed into areas that are not our core expertise (especially on Twitter) and it is time to pull back. We are not writers, human rights attorneys, or historians.
We are software developers and archivists.
We strayed into areas that are not our core expertise (especially on Twitter) and it is time to pull back. We are not writers, human rights attorneys, or historians.
We are software developers and archivists.
11/ Another goal for the next year is collaboration.
We want more journalists and researchers to know about, and use, our archival platforms. We want to collect data in a way that is usable by human rights attorneys.
We will ask them how we can make our tools better, for them. And we will listen carefully.
We want more journalists and researchers to know about, and use, our archival platforms. We want to collect data in a way that is usable by human rights attorneys.
We will ask them how we can make our tools better, for them. And we will listen carefully.
@pressfreedom 12/ We will also work on making our projects sustainable for the long term. We plan to continue our work until Palestine is free.
Memory and accountability are far too important to leave in the hands of nation states. It is our job to build it.
Memory and accountability are far too important to leave in the hands of nation states. It is our job to build it.
@pressfreedom 13/ Thank you for helping us do the work over the past year, and we still have more work to do.
Accountability and memory may be my "startup," but it is your job too. We can, and must, build accountability. Together.
🙏🇵🇸🪁
Accountability and memory may be my "startup," but it is your job too. We can, and must, build accountability. Together.
🙏🇵🇸🪁
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