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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

#301
post #284
post #265

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

Can you please not post antisemitic tropes?

It's not a "trope" but well documented history. The Edict of Expulsion (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edict_of_Expulsion) was issued in England in 1290 and was repeated across most of western Europe for the next several hundred years. And I'm assuming/hoping you don't deny all the atrocities against Jews from the early-mid 1900s in the same region.

And it's pretty telling that you chose to say this to me and not the comment I replied to.

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

#302

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One protestor was fired after interrupting a CEO's speech.

Half the jobs I’ve worked, I’d be immediately fired if I interrupted a CEO’s speech. The other half, I’d be in serious trouble and I’d be first on any layoff.

I know a story of a guy who got fired for just talking to the CEO of his large company!

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

#303

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Let's not ignore the last 60-70 or even 1400 years. Israelis hit back hard. But they haven't been the ones to declare war on peaceful neighbors. It wasn't them who stood for thr München massacre or a number of plane hijackings in the 70ies. It wasn't Israelis who blew up buses in Gaza. Was it? We must stop confusing powerful with evil and currently helpless with "innocent".

What a delightful selection of specific incidents. In just the past two weeks Israel attacked a half dozen of its neighboring countries. Israel itself is a belligerent Western colony that has been ethnically cleansing Palestine since the 1940s. It is the obligation for an occupied people to resist their occupiers, and according to the UN that is up to and includes violent resistence. The entirety of Palestine has bee…

Leaving Quatar aside, because seriously that puzzles everyone including me: what half a dozen countries are you referring to?

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

#304

I am seeing several kneejerk "Microsoft bad" reactions here, which HNers don't do for many other companies. I encourage many of you to read what is written. They listened to their internal staff and stakeholders and public pressure, and did terminated the contract instead of ignoring it or doubling down. That is a good thing.

Will Microsoft rehire the employees who were fired for protesting?

No? Hmm, then you should not let Microsoft whitewash its record by taking credit for the very cause those workers were punished for defending

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

#305

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did the protestors help the media publicity?

I really wonder if a company like microsoft has any real concern over people tweeting negative things about it. It seems like companies are finally realizing a lot of it can just be ignored, but with microsoft specifically, what’s the risk? Who in a position to deny ms enough money that they’d care or even notice is going to decide to do it based on people protesting?

The problem here is thinking that the only form of protest anyone ever engages in is tweeting things. Some people stop supporting companies they disagree with, both individually and, if they're able, with their own company.

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

#307

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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?

Getting away from the debate around your details (most of which didn't happen) ... A singular terrorist event is not the same as an multi-decade occupation, on-going theft of land, discrimination, annexation plans, and - not least - a 2 year long genocide of tens of thousands of civilians. So, no, that isn't what Hamas did.

This has not been a single terrorist event. Hamas has been shooting rockets at us for almost two decades before the October 7th attacks. They are still shooting rockets at us, some have fallen yesterday and today. And I'm not even talking about the rockets shot at us from other Muslim nations, such as Yemen, that just proves that this is a Muslim against Jewish war and not an Israel against Hamas war. 19 Israelis were injured in a rocket attack from Yemen yesterday.

And how could you oppose both the occupation and annexation plans? Annexation is an end to occupation, no? I also think that the occupation has been going on for far too long, though I fault UNRWA and the PA for that as much as I fault Israel.

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

#308

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Let's not ignore the last 60-70 or even 1400 years. Israelis hit back hard. But they haven't been the ones to declare war on peaceful neighbors. It wasn't them who stood for thr München massacre or a number of plane hijackings in the 70ies. It wasn't Israelis who blew up buses in Gaza. Was it? We must stop confusing powerful with evil and currently helpless with "innocent".

If the powerful are genociding the helpless, then the powerful are evil. It doesn't matter who hit whom first.

The point is a conflict that the victim can choose to end anytime they want isn't a genocide, no matter how UN tries to twist one of the legal definitions into something that can be interpretated as one.

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

#309
post #242

Earlier quoted context omitted.

“There you are, Mr. Netanyahu! Just who do you think you are, killing thousands and flattening neighborhoods, then wrapping yourself in Judaism like it’s some shield from criticism? You’re making life for Jews miserable, and life for American Jews impossible!” - Jewish character on the latest South Park, a show created and run by two Jewish people. Also ”It’s not Jews vs. Palestine, it’s Israel vs. Palestine!”

Hard to imagine that this argument exists, the real victims of mass murder aren't the actual victims of mass murder.

If a country was killing thousands of people and saying it was to make people like you safer, might you not be inclined to point out it's having the opposite effect?
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