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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

#441

Post by js212 »

basilgohar wrote: post #380
bArray wrote: post #97

The issue that people have with Israel's actions is the death of civilians, not the death of Hamas, the widely recognised terrorist. I believe it also to be true that the IDF do not want to kill civilians, and that their target is only Hamas. In which case, is it prudent to remove the IDF's ability to successfully target the correct people? Precise military intelligence is absolutely necessary for minimising civilian…

It is the IDF and Israel governments explicit goal, as stated by high up government officials and leaders, to eradicate all Palestians in Gaza. A cursory view into their own Hebrew media make this abundantly clear. They are committing a genocide in both word and deed.

A few government officials have said this. No one part of the War Cabinet has said this and it is definitely NOT the explicitly goal of the IDF.

This is entirely made up.

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

#442

Post by vkou »

sugarpimpdorsey wrote: post #386
Forgeties79 wrote: post #252

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Every protest we praise in history broke the law at some point. “Promote company-hating propaganda” is an interesting way to describe what happened.

Building a website on internal Microsoft infra that ledes with a picture of "Azure Kills Kids" is beyond the pale.

Killing kids is not beyond the pale, building a website criticizing is.

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

#443

Post by hashim »

ahf8Aithaex7Nai wrote: post #417
hashim wrote: post #406

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Modern by definition means the modern day, I'm not sure what 2019 was but we don't get to redefine terms for our own use. The list is only "additive" if the criticisms still apply. Your presumably best example was a corporate strategy from the 90s. Companies, just like (most) people, change. 2025 Microsoft is pro-Linux and a much better force for good than most other tech companies, yet almost invariably I find the people triggered by the mention of Microsoft tend to be relatively quiet about and/or active consumers of Apple, Amazon, Google et al.

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

#444

Post by tguvot »

ribosometronome wrote: post #261
FuriouslyAdrift wrote: post #220

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

Their source for deaths in Gaza is "CNN via IDF" but reading that article, it's actually an interview re: a specifically unconfirmed report from another news agency. Mixing that with data produced with very specific methodology, like they've done with the NIH data they're also using, seems like a bit of a faux pas. Reent, published, actual figures (instead of ambiguously attributed early ones) show that they'd be up…

the only thing that those numbers mean it's how many of dead combatants IDF can identify/name.

if somebody killed holding RPG, he doesn't become civilian just because IDF doesn't know his name

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

#445

Post by JumpCrisscross »

bArray wrote: post #97

The issue that people have with Israel's actions is the death of civilians, not the death of Hamas, the widely recognised terrorist. I believe it also to be true that the IDF do not want to kill civilians, and that their target is only Hamas. In which case, is it prudent to remove the IDF's ability to successfully target the correct people? Precise military intelligence is absolutely necessary for minimising civilian…

> issue that people have with Israel's actions is the death of civilians, not the death of Hamas

Would note that this issue has sufficiently polarised that there are thoughtful people in e.g. New York who think it’s an atrocity for even Hamas fighters to be killed. (Same as there are folks who think every Palestinian is safely presumed a terrorist until proved innocent.)

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

#446

Post by 34679 »

sugarpimpdorsey wrote: post #416
rkachowski wrote: post #404

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

You lost me at "pretend activist". This person put their job on the line for what they believe in, and in a public enough way that complete strangers are discussing it on the internet. That's real activism.

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

#447

Post by dotancohen »

meowface wrote: post #336
Aarostotle wrote: post #175

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

Israel has a legitimate reason to want to try to intercept and detect terrorist activity, but given what they've been doing in Gaza for the past year and a half, they simply can't be trusted. They've lost all credibility and benefit of the doubt. So they can't expect other entities to help them do something they say is legitimate, because no one can trust them to do something in a legitimate and ethical way.

[flagged]

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

#448

Post by davidjeet »

zawaideh wrote: post #367
bArray wrote: post #97

The issue that people have with Israel's actions is the death of civilians, not the death of Hamas, the widely recognised terrorist. I believe it also to be true that the IDF do not want to kill civilians, and that their target is only Hamas. In which case, is it prudent to remove the IDF's ability to successfully target the correct people? Precise military intelligence is absolutely necessary for minimising civilian…

It is a genocide. They are targeting civilians.

Proof? Or just what is convenient for you to believe?

If anything, quite the opposite. Think about this logically - why the need for expensive surveillance if your chief goal was to annihilate a population?

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

#449

Post by js212 »

basilgohar wrote: post #352
dotancohen wrote: post #314

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Serious question, what do you think is their own land? And what exactly makes you think it is their land? Are you aware that most of the Arabs of the Holy Land came around the same time period as the Jews? There were Arabs living here previously, of course, as were there living here Jews. Half a century before the British mandate, Jerusalem was already Jewish majority. > where they've lived for thousands of years. Th…

[flagged]

Jews are an ethnicity and are genetically the same. Even those from Europe and those from Muslim countries (who now live in Israel after getting kicked out of Muslim countries). Stop making stuff up.

Ohhh and Muslims didn’t treat Jews “peacefully”. They were second class citizens and often massacred. Read some history.

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

#450

Post by sugarpimpdorsey »

34679 wrote: post #446
sugarpimpdorsey wrote: post #416

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

You lost me at "pretend activist". This person put their job on the line for what they believe in, and in a public enough way that complete strangers are discussing it on the internet. That's real activism.

If they don't like it, they don't have to work there.

All these people hate on their employer and customers whilst simultaneously drawing a salary.

If they put their money where their mouth is, they can all quit en masse and let the company deal with customers without employees to support.

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