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

theguardian.com

411–420 of 894 posts

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

#411

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?

> Broke into homes and burned babies to death? Beheaded people? Pulled fetuses from pregnant women? It's important to note that these things never happened, and you're still repeating them years later. The only baby that died on 10/7 was a 10 month old hit by crossfire. I have no idea of the third, and though I feel sure it's wrong judging by the rest of what you have said, I feel obligated to check. Try it.

There are videos made by the Hamas attackers on October 7, using their own cellphones. There are recordings of cell phone calls by the same terrorists: "Dad? I killed a f**g jew just now!".

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

#412

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Half a dozen? Let’s do inventory! Lebanon’s - hezbollah has fired rockets into Israel on oct 8th 2023 Iraq - fired rockets in solidarity of Gaza Yemen - fired rockets in solidarity of Gaza Syria - fired rockets in solidarity of Gaza Iran - fired the largest array of ballistic missiles to Israel after Israel bombed an consulate in Syria where Hamas and hezbolla were congregating Qatar - that’s the only country that di…

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What does that have anything to do with what I just wrote?

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

#413
post #269

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I feel like interrupting a CEO's speech at a big conference is pretty well understood to be a social indicator of a high level of insubordination. I suspect the protestor knew that too. The consequences were appropriate, even if I might share some of the protestor's concerns.

You feel that being fired is an appropriate consequence to interrupting a CEO?

When doing a presentation at a big conference, yes.

If it was an open discussion in a meeting with 5 people, no.

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

#414

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Boy I would love to hear how the innocent Palestinians who are starving and whose homes have been destroyed can end this conflict at any time.

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

#415

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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?

You are right that with the Trump administration (well, bipartisan support), US companies don't have to worry about any adverse political action by cooperating with Israel. Negative publicity from the common people also won't adversely affect their bottom line. But they do have to worry about the legal aspects - the US is one of the few countries actually having laws against genocide / war crimes. Trump may be ready…

Trying to pin support for israel on one side and not on the entirety of the us government at all levels is either profoundly naive or profoundly dishonest.

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

#416
post #269

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I feel like interrupting a CEO's speech at a big conference is pretty well understood to be a social indicator of a high level of insubordination. I suspect the protestor knew that too. The consequences were appropriate, even if I might share some of the protestor's concerns.

You feel that being fired is an appropriate consequence to interrupting a CEO?

Interrupting a speech? Yes. It demonstrates a lack of maturity, decorum, and is completely unprofessional. Someone who pulls these shenanigans is unworthy of the role they were hired for. This isn't high school anymore. They were hired to perform productive work not be disruptive and play pretend activist.

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

#417
post #406

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Search for "Embrace, Extend, Extinguish".

So the criticisms from the 90s that I mentioned in my other comment? Yeah, I prefer to live in the modern world. It isn't Microsoft that needs to be hit with antitrusts in 2025. It's Apple and Google. Live moves on, and in 2025, Microsoft is one of the more ethical tech companies around, unless you're one of the many sheltered people in tech that think targeted advertising is manifest evil that's on par with enabling…

I'm 40. For me, the modern world didn't just start in 2019. And the list is additive. The fact that Microsoft has been on it since the 90s doesn't stop me from also listing Google, Apple, and Amazon.

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

#418
post #251

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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No. You're just factually wrong. This is a made-up statement with no truth to it. Arab Jews were living peacefully side by side in Palestine before the European Zionist colonizers started coming in the 19th and 20th centuries.

> No. You're just factually wrong. This is a made-up statement with no truth to it.

Arab colonisation of the middle east and north africa is documented history.

> Arab Jews were living peacefully side by side in Palestine before the European Zionist colonizers started coming in the 19th and 20th centuries.

You can look up historical incidences of Arab violence against Jews at any time you like. Palestine was partitioned into Jordan/Arab state/Jewish state for this reason, much like India and Pakistan was.

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

#419
post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The statistics bear this out, millennials on down are very against this. Within the last year a true overall majority of the American Jewish population are opposed to what Israel is doing to Gaza. I expect this trend to continue. The truest supporters of Israel in America have always been Christian (for both insane and cynical reasons).

Do you have a source for this?

Here is a good background:

https://jewishcurrents.org/antisemitic-zionists-arent-a-cont...

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

#420
As someone who's been boycotting Microsoft in line with the BDS movement, I welcome this (belated) move, but seeing Bill Gates on stage laughing (maybe nervously) at Ibtihal Aboussad's (now validated) protest still makes me uneasy about a guy who I previously followed and liked to a reasonable extent, and I'll still probably hold off on watching his most recent documentaries. It makes me wonder how comfortable you have to be (as a supposed philanthropist, no less) with the deaths of tens of thousands of brown kids to laugh in a situation like that. Hell, even Ballmer had the sense to keep a straight face.
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