Google employees arrested after sit-in protest

Several Google employees were arrested after participating in a 10-hour sit-in at the company's offices in New York and California. The protest, organized by the No Tech For Apartheid movement, aimed to challenge Google's involvement with the Israeli government, particularly in relation to Project Nimbus, a $1 billion cloud computing contract.

Project Nimbus involves setting up a secure Google cloud infrastructure in Israel for data analysis, AI training, and other computing services. Leaked documents revealed advanced features like AI-enabled facial detection and automated image categorization.

During the sit-in, security workers informed protesters they were on administrative leave and warned against trespassing. Police removed nine protesters from the premises in California, with similar actions taken in New York.

The No Tech For Apartheid group stated that Google employees do not want their work to support Israel's actions in Gaza and called for an end to Project Nimbus in solidarity with Palestinian liberation.

Google responded by stating that the protests violated company policies, leading to the employees being placed on administrative leave and having their access to systems revoked. Law enforcement was called to ensure office safety after the protesters refused to leave.

In a recent incident, a Google employee was fired after accusing the company of 'powering genocide' during a talk by the company's Israel chief.

In conclusion, the arrests of Google employees following the sit-in protest highlight the ongoing tensions surrounding tech companies' partnerships with governments and the ethical considerations that employees are increasingly vocal about.