The news that the U.S. State Department recently planned to use artificial intelligence technology to revoke visas for foreign students believed to support Hamas has attracted widespread attention. The move could have a profound impact on tens of thousands of student visa holders, Reuters reported. Human rights advocates and free speech supporters expressed concern about this, believing that such practices could violate constitutionally protected freedom of speech and privacy rights.
According to Axios, the program, called Capture & Revocation, will use AI technology to review students’ social media accounts to identify potentially supporting Hamas’ comments. This plan is particularly sensitive in the context of the conflict between Israel and Hamas. Many students and groups have organized protests across the United States to express their concerns about the situation of Palestinians in Gaza.
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), a free speech advocacy organization, pointed out that AI technology cannot accurately understand subtle expressions about complex and controversial issues. The Aramil Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee also warned that the move could cause serious erosion of freedom of expression and privacy. They believe that AI's censorship mechanisms may lead to misjudgment, which in turn has an unfair impact on innocent students.
Fox News reported that a student had been revoked for alleged participation in a "Hamas supportive activity", which is regarded as the first action by the U.S. government on such issues. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio made it clear on social media that the United States adopts a zero-tolerance policy for foreign visitors who support terrorism, and violators will face the consequences of visa refusal, revocation and deportation.
The Trump administration signed an executive order in January to combat anti-Semitism and promised to expel non-citizen students involved in supporting the Palestinian protests. Trump said it would stop federal funding for educational institutions that allow “illegal protests” and claimed that “provokers will be imprisoned or permanently repatriated to their country of origin.”
However, many of the Palestine-supporting groups also included some Jews in these protests, who opposed anti-Semitism and called for a boycott of extremism. The conflict between Israel and Hamas has intensified, resulting in a large number of civilian casualties and a humanitarian crisis. This complex background has caused more controversy and discussion by the U.S. government's actions.
Key points: The U.S. State Department plans to use AI technology to revoke foreign student visas suspected of supporting Hamas. Free speech advocates expressed concerns about this, believing that AI cannot accurately understand complex speech, and the Trump administration promised to expel non-citizen students involved in supporting the Palestinian protests.