内容摘要：The Sydney Opera House sails show photos of Britain’s King Charles and Queen camilla soon after their arrival in Sydney, Australia, Oct. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

The Sydney Opera House sails show photos of Britain’s King Charles and Queen camilla soon after their arrival in Sydney, Australia, Oct. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

Some supporters of deportation say they’re focused on students whose activities go beyond protest, pointing to those who incite violence or“If you’re here, right, on a student visa causing civil unrest ... assaulting people on the streets, chanting for people’s death, why the heck did you come to this country?” said Eliyahu Hawila, the software engineer whose company built the tool designed to identify masked protesters.

But an Arab-American advocate said he worries that groups bent on exposing pro-Palestinian activists will make mistakes and single out students who did nothing wrong, potentially costing them the right to stay in the U.S.Contact AP’s global investigative team atFor secure and confidential communications, use the free Signal app

The practice of unearthing and spreading personal information has become commonplace in the uproar over Gaza, used to harass both activists in the U.S. and Israeli soldiers who recorded video of themselves on the battlefield.But the long-term consequences of such actions, known as doxing, were limited. The use of facial-recognition technology by private groups and calls to turn people in to immigration authorities significantly raises the stakes.

“It’s a very concerning practice. We don’t know who these individuals are or what they’re doing with this information,” said Abed Ayoud, national executive director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. “Essentially the administration is outsourcing surveillance.”

NEW YORK (AP) — When a protester was caught on video in January at a New York rally against Israel, only her eyes were visible between a mask and headscarf. But days later, photos of her entire face, along with her name and employer, were circulated online.“If you’re here, right, on a student visa causing civil unrest ... assaulting people on the streets, chanting for people’s death, why the heck did you come to this country?” said Eliyahu Hawila, a software engineer who built the tool designed to identify masked protesters and outed the woman at the January rally.

Eliyahu Hawila, a software engineer who wrote a facial-recognition program to identify masked protesters, is seen in New York on Friday, March 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey)Eliyahu Hawila, a software engineer who wrote a facial-recognition program to identify masked protesters, is seen in New York on Friday, March 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey)

He has forwarded protesters’ names to groups pressing for them to be deported, disciplined, fired or otherwise punished.“If we want to argue that this is freedom of speech and they can say it, fine, they can say it,” Hawila said. “But that doesn’t mean that you will escape the consequences of society after you say it.”