How Google Helps Israel Spread Propaganda and Wage War

Alan MacLeod discusses his explosive new investigations into how Google has become a key Israeli ally in war propaganda, data surveillance, and economic support—spending billions to boost Tel Aviv’s image and infrastructure amid its genocidal campaign in Gaza.

Israel could not be doing what it is doing without significant support from the West. And they have found some very powerful allies in Silicon Valley. Chief among these is Google, which has allowed the Israeli government to use its platforms to target tens of millions of Europeans with propaganda.

Joining the MintCast today to talk about his latest investigations into the collaboration between Israel and Google is MintPress News senior staff writer and podcast producer, Alan MacLeod.

His most recent article, “Inside Israel’s Massive YouTube European Propaganda Blitz,” notes how Tel Aviv has increased its foreign PR budget by 2,000%, with much of that money targeting Western audiences. In the past few weeks, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs has spent millions targeting at least 45 million Europeans with YouTube ads. These messages present Iran as a deadly and imminent threat to Europe, position Israel as a humanitarian force in the region, and justify Israeli attacks on Iranian sites. Many of these videos clearly break YouTube’s terms of service, which outlaw ads justifying violence. Israel, however, appears to receive a free pass.

Inside Israel’s Massive YouTube European Propaganda Blitz

Among the countries most targeted by this PR blitz are the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, and Greece. The scale of this operation is astonishing; many of the Greek ads have over two million views each. As MacLeod told Adley:

The entire world population of people who speak Greek is only about 13 million people. So we’re talking about something like, close to 20% of all Greek-speaking people have been hit with these ads on YouTube alone. And we’re not even talking about other ads on Google, on WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram, et cetera.”

Avid MintPress readers, however, will not be surprised to learn that Google is collaborating closely with Israel.

As MacLeod’s article, “Wiz Acquisition Puts Israeli Intelligence In Charge of Your Google Data,” noted, Google’s top brass are avowedly pro-Israel, and have deep business and political connections to the Israeli government. In a 2012 meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, longtime company CEO, Eric Schmidt declared that “the decision to invest in Israel was one of the best that Google has ever made.”

Google’s $32 Billion Wiz Deal Ties Your Data to Israeli Military Tech

Earlier this year, Google purchased Israeli cybersecurity firm Wiz for $32 billion. The price tag, 65 times Wiz’s annual revenue, was a massive shot in the arm for a severely weakened Israeli economy.

The tax alone on such a purchase equated to a direct wealth transfer of 0.6% of Israeli GDP from Google into the Netanyahu administration’s coffers. This led some to speculate whether the purchase was more about shoring up the Israeli economy than smart business tactics.

Adley and MacLeod also discussed the controversial Israeli spying group, Unit 8200. Described as the centerpiece of the Israeli surveillance state, Unit 8200 has been responsible for some of the most advanced and controversial cyberattacks in history, including September’s Lebanese pager attacks.

Google has been actively recruiting from the ranks of Unit 8200.

Macleod’s investigation, “The Former Israeli Spies Working in Top Jobs at Google, Facebook, and Microsoft,” found at least 99 former Israeli spies working in important positions within Google. Among these are the company’s Head of Strategy and Operations, Gavriel Goidel, who was previously Head of Learning at Unit 8200. Another man who travelled down the Unit 8200-to-Google pipeline is Ben Bariach, a former commander in the Israeli military unit, who later was tasked by Google to stamp out  “controversial content”  and “disinformation” on Google platforms.

Revealed: The Former Israeli Spies Working in Top Jobs at Google, Facebook and Microsoft

Watch this important episode now to understand what the implications of this collaboration are for you and your most sensitive data online.

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