Journalist Arnaud Nemet rescues the memory of his great-aunt Bella Ariel, a Jewish model from the 1930s whose talent and beauty were erased by hatred. Denounced and arrested, she died in Auschwitz at the age of 31. Her story is not just a family memory, but a warning about how discrimination, when normalized, destroys lives indiscriminately.
Algorithms of Hate: When Technology Repeats History 🖥️
If in the 1930s a single denunciation was enough to erase a person, today automated systems replicate that pattern on a massive scale. Social media algorithms amplify hate speech without filter, and digital anonymity facilitates false denunciations or mass harassment. Technology, without a solid ethical foundation, becomes a more efficient weapon of exclusion than Gestapo files. Code does not discriminate, but its creators do.
Denunciation 2.0: Now with Likes and No Prior Judgment 🔍
Bella Ariel was a victim of an anonymous denunciation. Today, anyone can report a neighbor for playing music too loud or for having a different opinion, and the digital mob takes care of the rest. The difference is that before, the executioner wore a uniform; now, they wear a keyboard and a verified account. At least in the 1930s, bureaucracy was slower. Today, in ten minutes your life gets canceled, and you don't have time to pack your bags.