Microsoft Faces New Complaint For Unlawfully Processing Data On Behalf of Israeli Military (aljazeera.com) 53
Ancient Slashdot user Alain Williams shares a report from Al Jazeera: The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) has announced it filed a complaint against Microsoft, accusing the global tech giant of unlawfully processing data on behalf of the Israeli military and facilitating the killings of Palestinian civilians in Gaza. In the complaint, the council asked the Data Protection Commission -- the European Union's lead data regulator for the company -- to "urgently investigate" Microsoft Ireland's processing.
"Microsoft's technology has put millions of Palestinians in danger. These are not abstract data-protection failures -- they are violations that have enabled real-world violence," Joe O'Brien, ICCL's executive director, said in a statement. "When EU infrastructure is used to enable surveillance and targeting, the Irish Data Protection Commission must step in -- and it must use its full powers to hold Microsoft to account."
After months of complaints from rights groups and Microsoft whistleblowers, the company said in September it cancelled some services to the Israeli military over concerns that it was violating Microsoft's terms of service by using cloud computing software to spy on millions of Palestinians.
"Microsoft's technology has put millions of Palestinians in danger. These are not abstract data-protection failures -- they are violations that have enabled real-world violence," Joe O'Brien, ICCL's executive director, said in a statement. "When EU infrastructure is used to enable surveillance and targeting, the Irish Data Protection Commission must step in -- and it must use its full powers to hold Microsoft to account."
After months of complaints from rights groups and Microsoft whistleblowers, the company said in September it cancelled some services to the Israeli military over concerns that it was violating Microsoft's terms of service by using cloud computing software to spy on millions of Palestinians.
Tombstones read (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
The Jews hashtagged them to death?
Re: (Score:1)
No, BSOD.
Re: (Score:2)
It's the data that highlights the target and guides the bomb.
Here we go (Score:4, Insightful)
Que up the outrage for being called anti semitic when you give the slightest bit of criticism to Israel
Re: Here we go (Score:1, Insightful)
Yep. And in such a situation, mercenary considerations take priority: better to *not* throw in with the guys you have to pat down for suicide vests.
Re: (Score:1)
better to *not* throw in with the guys you have to pat down for suicide vests.
Oh look, RWNJ doesn't understand asymmetric warfare. We'll add that to the long, long list of things it willfully doesn't understand so it can avoid learning anything.
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
Re: Here we go (Score:4, Informative)
who started the October 7th war
History did not start October 7th. You are ignoring at least decades of history, if not millennia.
Hamas' charter actually CALLS for genocide and the destruction of Israel.
You mean of the nation murdering Palestinians and stealing their land since the 1940s? Yeah, self-defense is so horrible. Why don't you look at the comparative death toll sometime if you don't want to be a Zionist tool. Make sure you look at what it was on October 6th, you genocide-supporting clown.
Re: (Score:2, Informative)
So, that initial "theft" was actually the rest of the world recognizing that the Jews needed their land back, and that siding with the Nazis deserved a little punishment.
Congratulations! Look wh
Re: Here we go (Score:4, Insightful)
By "in the 1940's" I assume you mean when the UN handed the region to the Jews? There were no "Palestinians" at the time, that ethnonym was invented by Yasser Arafat
There was Palestine. That's a distinction without a difference.
So, that initial "theft" was actually the rest of the world recognizing that the Jews needed their land back
And just look at the beautiful Genocide they've created there!
Congratulations! Look who you've sided with.
I'm not siding with anyone here. I dislike all religious ethnostates because they always go wrong at some point. The only thing I like is when they become more secular, like Iran was before the USA tampered with it. I am siding against genocide. If Israel can stop doing a genocide, I can stop disliking Israel for doing genocide and just focus on their religious oppression.
Re: (Score:2)
6 digit low user id, so you are not a youngster. Just goes to show that wisdom does not necessarily come with age.
I don't give a shit what you and those like you think, Israel has been around for almost 80 years, and it is here to stay.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Right. And what, 1400 Israelis died. Right now, the death toll for Gaza is over SEVENTY THOUSAND, and overwhelmingly, the majority are women and children.
Meanwhile, the ILLEGAL settlers in the West Bank are attacking and murdering Palestinians, and stealing their land, and they had nothing to do with Oct. 7.
And Israel's attacking Lebanon. And Syria.
Re: (Score:2)
The M.E. has a way of driving everyone crazy; you are damned if you do and damned if you don't.
Put HAZMAT tape around the area and warn everybody away. Leave them on their own, giving them no food nor weapons; if they bonk each other to oblivion, it's their problem, not ours. I think it's God's Insane Asylum.
Non-nuts have migrated somewhere quieter, leaving mostly nuts in place, a Sanity Filter. I'm just the messenger.
Re: (Score:3)
The M.E. has a way of driving everyone crazy; you are damned if you do and damned if you don't.
Put HAZMAT tape around the area and warn everybody away. Leave them on their own, giving them no food nor weapons; if they bonk each other to oblivion, it's their problem, not ours. I think it's God's Insane Asylum.
Non-nuts have migrated somewhere quieter, leaving mostly nuts in place, a Sanity Filter. I'm just the messenger.
The problem for the west with this sort of philosophy is that there is great profit potential is selling weapons to both sides in combat zones, and nothing creates a combat zone like insanity run amok. This is reason #2 that the entire middle east is one of the western world's obsessions. Reason #1 of course is oil. And while Israel may not be a provider of #1, they're damned good to the military industrial complex when it comes to #2. And let's face it, we long ago decided that profit comes before any othe
Re: (Score:3)
I could see anti-authoritarianism. Most actual jews that I've met have been nice people. The government of Israel, however, is vile.
OTOH, I don't see any sane way to deal with the situation. The comment "surround the place with hazard tape and stay away" has a lot going for it.
Re:Here we go (Score:5, Insightful)
The sane way to deal with it is to get Netanyahu to the The Hague for his war crimes trial, arrest the "Settler" terrorists, and dismantle the apartheid in Israel.
There were Jews living there, along side Arabs, long before Israel existed. Palestine used to be one of the nicer parts of that region. The way back to peace is for Israel to have a South Africa moment and a completely new government. Zionism has to be ended like apartheid was.
Re:Here we go (Score:4, Insightful)
Unfortunately there's no chance of appealing to Mr. Netanyahu to tear down that wall. There's also little to no chance of him being dragged off to the Hague while Israel can stand in America's shadow and thumb its nose at the UN.
Re: (Score:1)
I notice you chose to moderate my comment down instead of responding to anything I said. Is that because your positions cannot withstand argument?
Moderating my comments to oblivion is not going to stop me from saying what I think is true.
Re: (Score:1)
There were Jews living there, along side Arabs, long before Israel existed. Palestine used to be one of the nicer parts of that region. The way back to peace is for Israel to have a South Africa moment and a completely new government. Zionism has to be ended like apartheid was.
You really think the region ruled by Hamas would end up being better for both the Jews and the other residents? After all their acts from Oct 7th on? After reports of them capturing food distributions for their own control, to the tune of shooting Palastinian civilians? Come one.
Israel is already 20% muslim as well, so it's not like they are some hard-lined ethno/religious state.
Re: Here we go (Score:3)
"You really think the region ruled by Hamas would end up being better for both the Jews and the other residents? After all their acts from Oct 7th on?"
You don't seem to be paying attention to the actions of Israel from October 7 on. Or before it for that matter. Why is that?
Re: (Score:2)
You don't seem to be paying attention to the actions of Israel from October 7 on. Or before it for that matter. Why is that?
"You said you like waffles, why do you hate pancakes?"
Re: Here we go (Score:2)
By stay away do you mean stop funding it? If so, how do I subscribe to your newsletter?
Re: (Score:1)
No problem with the Pentagon, though (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:No problem with the Pentagon, though (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:No problem with the Pentagon, though (Score:5, Insightful)
Israel should be able to do war crimes because america does war crimes is lizard brain logic. both countries need to cut it out.
Re: (Score:2)
There are other obvious differences too. The US isn't currently committing genocide, hasn't murdered over 70,000 people and maimed or permanently injured many more in the last couple of years.
Ironically the accusation that criticism of this behaviour is antisemitic is itself antisemitic. Conflating the Jewish identity with Israel and its war crimes is the tool that Zionists use to silence critics, including other Jews. There is currently a big legal struggle in Israel over the conscription of ultra-orthodox
Re: (Score:2)
Mods support hateful people. ^^^^
There are a million reasons to not (Score:2, Insightful)
do business with Israeli gov't. Regardless of your political stance, from a business standpoint it's just asking for drama and controversy of some sort.
Re: (Score:3)
I'm just wondering how far the parallels with IBM during the Nazi years go, IBM supplied the tools the Nazis needed to identify Jews for deportation and extermination. Obviously I was not around back then but I'd like to know whether that cooperation was public knowledge and what the general public thought of it (in the pre-war years).
Re: (Score:3)
I'm just wondering how far the parallels with IBM during the Nazi years go, IBM supplied the tools the Nazis needed to identify Jews for deportation and extermination.
The cooperation was not general knowledge because there was a veil of secrecy not penetrated until this millennium [historyguild.org].
Irish Council for Civil Liberties (Score:1)
So three Irishmen enter a bar... How are we to take this seriously?
Re: (Score:1)
Now, that's just anti-hibernianism /s
Reminds me of IBM (Score:2)
Delivering equipment to the 3rd Reich to aid in the killing of jews. Funny how history repeats itself.
Clarification needed (Score:2)
How exactly can data processing facilitate killings of civilians? I would think that if Israel just wants to kill civilians, it can send tanks and aircraft and drop bombs and whatnot... without some sophisticated data processing, no?
Any complaints about their support for Ukraine? (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
Meanwhile Ireland which likes to style itself an independent country is completely dependent on its neighbors for defense against Russia which is now routinely flying sea-launched drones over Irish territorial waters and airspace. The aggression spiked during President Zelensky's recent visit to Ireland where at least 4 military grade suspected Russian drones flew near the President's aircraft.
Ireland pretends it is what Israel actually is, an independent sovereign state participating in the global technolo
Re: (Score:2)
Qatari state media wants to lecture us on the law (Score:1)
It's become a pretty common tactic, particularly with Qatari state-run and Hamas supporting media outlet Al-Jazeera to preface everything the state of Israel does with "illegal." Meanwhile Qatar is an absolute monarchy with a citizen population of only about 300k people, of which half are women who have virtually no legal rights, and the state holds about 2M mostly South Asian enslaved workers for most of the low level and domestic labor. Qatari media lecturing Israel on civil rights is beyond absurd.
Israel
who cares (Score:2)