Activist group to debut barcode-scanning boycott Israel app
The Boycott Divestment and Sanctions movement is coming out with a smartphone app that can scan products to see if the manufacturer has ties to Israel.
The group that went after actress Scarlett Johansson for being a spokesperson for the Israeli company SodaStream is now setting its heights even higher.
The Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement is about to come out with a smartphone app that will help people carry out boycotts against Israel, according to the International Business Times. The beta version of this app is slated to be ready in the near future.
The app will come with a barcode scanner, allowing users to scan products with their smartphones to see if the manufacturer has ties to Israel. The idea is to give potential boycotters all of the information they need on specific companies before buying a product. The data about the companies has been compiled by BDS, whose mission is to further Palestine rights.
BCS recently made news when it pressured Johansson to step down from her post as Oxfam global ambassador after she became SodaStream's official spokesperson. SodaStream was targeted by pro-Palestinian activists for opening a factory in an Israeli settlement in the West Bank, according to International Business Times.
While several prominent people and organizations -- such as Stephen Hawking and the American Studies Association -- have recently spoke in favor of Israel boycotts, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called the boycotts anti-Semitic.
CNET contacted the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and BDS for comment. We'll update the story when we get more information.