Microsoft blocks Israel’s use of its tech in mass surveillance of Palestinians • Hacker News Board

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

#651

Post by hashim » Thu, Sep 25, 2025, 8:56 PM UTC

flyinglizard wrote: post #578

Saline9515 wrote: post #567

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It wasn't started by the Palestinians. Israelis conduced ethnic cleansing operations against civilians to displace them, including biowarfare and well poisoning. It continues today, in Gaza and in the West Bank. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Cast_Thy_Bread https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palestinian_expulsion_from_L...

The article you linked refers to events during the war of 1948, when Israel was already formalized. It's establishment up to that point was primarily based on lawful acquisition, not expulsion. When it turned to an all out war, then yes, expulsion took place.

Yes, it was so lawful that the Irgun had to bomb the British and Palestinians to lawfully convince them to hand it to them.

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

#652

Post by warrenmiller » Thu, Sep 25, 2025, 8:58 PM UTC

dh2022 wrote: post #59

Cenk wrote: post #4

> 11,500 terabytes of Israeli military data – equivalent to approximately 200m hours of audio – was held in Microsoft’s Azure servers in the Netherlands

I wonder why IDC choose the Netherlands location. Microsoft has one Azure region in Israel itself: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/reliability/regions-...

might have something to do with the Netherlands being a large investor in Israel. the largest in the EU. It's responsible for two-thirds of EU investment in Israel. https://www.somo.nl/economic-sanctions-eu-is-israel-largest-...

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

#653

Post by [deleted] » Thu, Sep 25, 2025, 8:59 PM UTC

Joeboy wrote: post #639

catigula wrote: post #604

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think we're stuck and have to agree to disagree but the message sent is at least indistinguishable from the message of a self-interested sociopathic community with no moral concerns beyond their own. When I do things I at least try to make it discernible from psychopathy.

I don't really want to get into the A word thing, but your position makes more sense to me from a perspective of being anti-Jewish, rather than pro-Palestinian. From the latter perspective, I think it's better to challenge Israel's narratives than embolden them.

[deleted]

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

#654

Post by dotancohen » Thu, Sep 25, 2025, 9:01 PM UTC

basilgohar wrote: post #564

dotancohen wrote: post #471

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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You're right, Gaza was not occupied. It was an open-air prison where people are not allowed to enter or leave, aid was severely restricted, and the IDF adopted a policy of "mowing the grass" which was to cull the population periodically. That's worse, but I'm not sure that's the point you were trying to make. And if you're only other point is to accuse me of something I never said about an event that was debunked sev…

  > You're right, Gaza was not occupied. It was an open-air prison where people are not allowed to enter or leave, aid was severely restricted,

You can pin that as much on Egypt, an Arab and Muslim state, as you can on Israel.

> and the IDF adopted a policy of "mowing the grass" which was to cull the population periodically. That's worse, but I'm not sure that's the point you were trying to make.

I've heard the phrase mowing the grass. It clearly referred to the Hamas leadership. You can make up interpretations all you want, but I read the sources in both Hebrew (כן, אני מדבר עברית) and Arabic (وانا بحكي عربي كمان). I know exactly what was said, and what was meant. It's usually very clear.

> And if you're only other point is to accuse me of something I never said about an event that was debunked several times, whereas the actual kidnapping and burning of Palestinian babies, women, children, and men is well documented and still ongoing, I think that's all we need to know.

Israel does not deliberately target Palestinian children - there is no benefit to that. Do you know who does benefit when Palestinian children die? Hamas does. They say it clearly. If you really cared about children - Palestinian and Israeli - then you would not perpetuate the blood libel against the side that until recently went out of its way to protect children.

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

#655

Post by hashim » Thu, Sep 25, 2025, 9:02 PM UTC

myth_drannon wrote: post #640

dunekid wrote: post #618

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wow nice, I wish i could donate, but US Taxpayers already cover for me. What do the donors get? Like souvenirs? Funding Genocidal ITF to kill more children and bomb more hospitals has to have its perks.

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

#656

Post by catigula » Thu, Sep 25, 2025, 9:02 PM UTC

Joeboy wrote: post #639

catigula wrote: post #604

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think we're stuck and have to agree to disagree but the message sent is at least indistinguishable from the message of a self-interested sociopathic community with no moral concerns beyond their own. When I do things I at least try to make it discernible from psychopathy.

I don't really want to get into the A word thing, but your position makes more sense to me from a perspective of being anti-Jewish, rather than pro-Palestinian. From the latter perspective, I think it's better to challenge Israel's narratives than embolden them.

I'm glad you realize how silly that word has become. In reality, groups of people via culture or whatever other mechanism do generate certain things that are undeserving or deserving of censure. For example, due to cultural reasons, 1930-1940s Germany produced a high preponderance of Nazis, so we destroyed them.

I'm not suggesting cultural destruction is possible or desireable (maybe it is, but it's not my purview), but if a culture is producing a large preponderance of murderous ethnic supremacists it's time to sound the alarm bells. This entire thing wouldn't have been possible if that community didn't make it so.

This is especially compounded given that this group feels above critique from outsiders. That is a dangerous concoction and unfortunately the end result is wanton murder and redirection of resources to abet it. I think we're all about sick of the killing now. With great power comes great responsibility to be a moral agent.

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

#657

Post by swat535 » Thu, Sep 25, 2025, 9:03 PM UTC

js212 wrote: post #463

DSingularity wrote: post #174

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

No they are not. It’s like 20%

Comments like that reminds of people asserting blanket statements like: majority of Iranians support the regime and hate Jews!

Like do people not realize Iranian Jews also exist?

Anyway I digress..

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

#658

Post by hashim » Thu, Sep 25, 2025, 9:03 PM UTC

pbiggar wrote: post #24

There was an interesting point in the earlier article on this, where Microsoft tried to push their Israeli employees under a bus. They claimed their Israeli employees had lied to them about the use of Azure for war and civilian harm because they held more allegiance to their army than to Microsoft. Now obviously, this was a lie, but the implication is staggering: Microsoft can't trust it's own employees in Israel, an…

Unrelated, I knew I recognised that name, thank you for everything you do, I've made a few commits to T4P myself in the last few months and can't imagine the regular work that must go into it.

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

#659

Post by shadowbammed » Thu, Sep 25, 2025, 9:04 PM UTC

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

#660

Post by dotancohen » Thu, Sep 25, 2025, 9:06 PM UTC

LightBug1 wrote: post #646

dotancohen wrote: post #327

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> most of which didn't happen Even the BBC, a generally anti-Israel organization, has reported on it: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-67629181

That's a Dec-23 article and doesn't take account of later independent investigations. Regardless. I accept it's reasonable that sexualised violence took place. I accept the what happened on 7th Oct was a horrible terrorist act. But, and apologies if this hurts, none of that, absolutely none of that, justifies what has taken place since. There is no place in this world for genocide. Particularly from a country that pr…

  > There is no place in this world for genocide. Particularly from a country that preaches "never again". Nothing you can say will change my opinion on that.

I'm not trying to change your opinion on that. I'm in complete agreement with you on that subject.

I am showing you that the accusations of genocide against Israel are beyond ridiculous. They are manufactured to favour the side that 1) provides oil, and 2) is in idealogical conflict with the United States. Most countries of the world either need oil or are similarly in an idealogical conflict with the US.

Just for example, the United Nations report that slanders the Jewish State about committing genocide starts off with this prose: "On 7 October 2023, Israel launched its military offensive in Gaza, which included airstrikes and ground operations". Does that sound like a logical summary of that day's events?