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Microsoft blocks Israel’s use of its tech in mass surveillance of Palestinians

theguardian.com

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Re: Microsoft blocks Israel’s use of its tech in mass surveillance of Palestinians

#171

Post by komali2 »

skinkestek wrote: post #157
tdeck wrote: post #133

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You seem to be unaware of all the Palestinian hostages Israel has been taking for decades. Thousands of people locked up without trial or charges, many of them children. Please educate yourself.

You don't see the difference between imprisoning people that attack you and taking care of them (mostly, exceptions sadly exist) and storming a music festival and houses to abduct completely innocent teenagers and even toddlers to use them for leverage? Honestly?

There is no justification for Israel's occupation and apartheid of Palestine. The attacks on civilians are unjustifiable as well but the trigger for them wasn't random - Hamas never would have come to power if Israel didn't occupy Palestine, let alone fund Hamas with the explicit stayed goal by Benjamin Netanyahu to divide Palestinian politics.

Look to Israel, the source of decades of suffering for everyone in the region, including its own citizens whom it exposes to retaliatory violence in response to the violence it delivers to its neighbors.

Re: Microsoft blocks Israel’s use of its tech in mass surveillance of Palestinians

#173

Post by natebc »

n1b0m wrote: post #155
sugarpimpdorsey wrote: post #139

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's a funny way to say "they fired staff that vandalized company property, broke into the CEO's office, and used an internal company website to publish and promote anti-company propaganda". That will get you fired from bussing tables or washing dishes, let alone a six-figure job at MS. Edit: Source on the last one; the first two were widely reported on in media: https://lunduke.substack.com/p/fired-microsoft-emplo…

Source?

https://apnews.com/article/microsoft-azure-gaza-israel-prote...

There's a couple of sub links off of that one. Not sure if that's what GP was referring too but there is mention in there of employees being terminated related to protests

Re: Microsoft blocks Israel’s use of its tech in mass surveillance of Palestinians

#174

Post by DSingularity »

sa501428 wrote: post #109
sieep wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Very true. I've gone on dates with a couple Jewish women over the past two or three years & they've all staunchly supported Palestine which surprised me a bit.

Why is it surprising? Fwiw my Jewish friends have also been quite vocal in opposing Netanyahu/Likud, usually more vocal than Muslim friends.

I think it’s surprising because Israelis are very loud in their support for Netanyahu. Yeah, there are protests but it polling suggests that the overwhelming majority of Israelis support Netanyahu.

Re: Microsoft blocks Israel’s use of its tech in mass surveillance of Palestinians

#175

Post by Aarostotle »

meowface wrote: post #123
sc68cal wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There have been public reports by major news organizations on the subject of Israel using big tech companies to surveil the West Bank and Gaza, for a decade. This isn't an issue of customer privacy.

The difference is that pre-2023 it could at least have some plausible excuse of trying to detect terrorist activity. With Israel's current actions in Gaza, there is no longer any plausible excuse or defense for any security action Israel is conducting towards Palestinians.

Did something happen in 2023 that makes it _less_ relevant for Israel to try to prevent terrorist activity?

Re: Microsoft blocks Israel’s use of its tech in mass surveillance of Palestinians

#176

Post by dotancohen »

RajT88 wrote: post #161
skinkestek wrote: post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

Other commenters are right, but I'll point out another fallacy you're pushing here. The current situation is like somebody commits a murder. Then the community rounds up a posse and goes out to kill the murderer. Then kill the murder's family, their neighbors, the residents of the next neighborhood over, raze the neighborhoods and then take all the land for themselves. Justice means penalizing the guilty parties, not…

But isn't that what Hamas did? Broke into homes and burned babies to death? Beheaded people? Pulled fetuses from pregnant women? Shoot up clinics and murder the entire staff and patients?

Re: Microsoft blocks Israel’s use of its tech in mass surveillance of Palestinians

#177

Post by skinkestek »

cowpig wrote: post #132
skinkestek wrote: post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

You are thinking of "Palestinians" as a collective group, synonymous with a group of extremists who have done horrible things Just as most of the citizens of Iran are victims of an Islamic totalitarian government, just as many Germans were victims of the fascist dictatorship that took hold of their nation, most human beings living near the southeast bit of the Levantine Sea are victims of actions outside their contro…

So, do we owe Germany an apology after we obliterated it to stop the nazis?

Or is it kind of logical that when you vote actual genocidal maniacs into power and cheer for them as they return from murder and rape, you hide the hostages they took and refuse to do anything to stop them, then maybe you aren't completely innocent?

Re: Microsoft blocks Israel’s use of its tech in mass surveillance of Palestinians

#178

Post by glenstein »

mrits wrote: post #92
computerex wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The word genocide has a legal definition, it’s not up for discussion or debate. What is happening in Gaza is a genocide according to genocide scholars.

This is a bit off topic but there isn't anything more debated in history than legal definitions. Maybe religious scripture? I don't think you could have raised a weaker point.

I think you actually, without intending to, raise the reason why this is an exceptionally powerful point. Given the diversity of academic opinion on so many fundamental subjects, consensus on any topic is extraordinary.

I actually don't agree with you that "legal definitions" are as hotly debated or that the existence of debate in general negates consensus on specific topics. And I do think one important point with genocide scholarship is regarding muddying the waters with tom-ay-to/to-mah-to approach to definitions. Treating definitions as inherently transient is an important instrument in normalizing cultural acceptance of genocides when they're unfolding in real time, which is why that tactic is targeted by so much scholarly criticism.

Re: Microsoft blocks Israel’s use of its tech in mass surveillance of Palestinians

#179

Post by nashadelic »

sugarpimpdorsey wrote: post #139
n1b0m wrote: post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They fired staff who protested against the firm’s ties to the IDF.

That's a funny way to say "they fired staff that vandalized company property, broke into the CEO's office, and used an internal company website to publish and promote anti-company propaganda". That will get you fired from bussing tables or washing dishes, let alone a six-figure job at MS. Edit: Source on the last one; the first two were widely reported on in media: https://lunduke.substack.com/p/fired-microsoft-emplo…

They've been raising the alarm for months. If this extreme action is what it took Microsoft to look into genocide and then terminate the contract, it was absolutely the right call

Re: Microsoft blocks Israel’s use of its tech in mass surveillance of Palestinians

#180

Post by sieep »

sa501428 wrote: post #109
sieep wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Very true. I've gone on dates with a couple Jewish women over the past two or three years & they've all staunchly supported Palestine which surprised me a bit.

Why is it surprising? Fwiw my Jewish friends have also been quite vocal in opposing Netanyahu/Likud, usually more vocal than Muslim friends.

My gut assumption is that people will default to tribalism, but that has proven to be wrong over the past few years.
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