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Microsoft is reportedly banning Palestinians in the U.S. for life for calling relatives in Gaza (www.windowscentral.com)

submitted 3 months ago by Linkerbaan@lemmy.world to c/technology@lemmy.world

27 comments fedilink hide all child comments

A BBC investigation reveals that Microsoft is permanently banning Palestinians in the U.S. and other countries who use Skype to call relatives in Gaza.

Reportedly, Microsoft has been banning and wiping the accounts of users who have leveraged Skype to contact relatives in Gaza. In some cases, email accounts over a decade old have been locked, destroying access to banking accounts, OneDrive storage, and beyond.

United States resident Salah Elsadi lost his account of over 15 years in the dragnet. "I've had this Hotmail for 15 years. They banned me for no reason, saying I have violated their terms — what terms? Tell me. I've filled out about 50 forms and called them many many times." Eiad Hametto from Saudi Arabia echoed the report, "We are civilians with no political background who just wanted to check on our families. They’ve suspended my email account that I’ve had for nearly 20 years. It was connected to all my work. They killed my life online."

Many of the users affected by the bans expressed that Microsoft may be falsely labelling them as Hamas

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[–] Bezier@suppo.fi 1 points 3 months ago

This is what I fear the most with these platforms. They have these shitty automated moderation systems that can just decide to delete everything you have there on a whim. Already common on places like youtube and facebook, but it just keeps getting worse. Every site is pushing users into signing in with their google/microsoft/whatever accounts.

Remember the guy who lost access to his smart home when amazon banned him for no reason?

[–] Kyrgizion@lemmy.world 1 points 3 months ago

Remember: today it's "just" the Palestinians and you may not be affected or care. But tomorrow, it could be you.

[–] A_Random_Idiot@lemmy.world 0 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Damn, thats some google level behavior.

What the fuck, MIcrosoft.

[–] archchan@lemmy.ml 0 points 3 months ago (1 children)

No, it's standard corp level behavior that's beholden to government censorship and propaganda when it doesn't fit the narrative. You can substitute any big tech company in the US for Google. They all do this. It's why the government is not a fan of TikTok, they don't have that same level of control over the flow of information.

[–] DeVaolleysAdVocate@lemmy.world 0 points 3 months ago (1 children)

that and it is quite literally spyware that sends all the consumer data to the CCP where they can adjust their own algorithms to show things that can sway the minds of people too young to think critically

[–] maxenmajs@lemmy.world 0 points 3 months ago (2 children)

I don't understand why it's so mainstream to equate Palestine with Hamas. It's as if there is an actual conspiracy going on to to support this genocide. Is it because it's so easy to say you're antiemetic if you oppose "the Jews"?

[–] Linkerbaan@lemmy.world 0 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (2 children)

It's completely normalized racism. America has been institutionalizing Islamophobia for years to justify their invasions of the Middle East where we kill millions of ~~innocent civilians~~ "terorrists"

Before the 2000's a lot of that manufactured hate was directed towards Asians because we needed to justify war crimes in Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Laos etc.

[–] Snowflake@sh.itjust.works 0 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Without America the Palestine people would have starved to death years ago. Their own Arabian brothers won't even help them. America doesn't need to institionalize islamaphobia when they do it themselves. You can look into any Islam media and you would find they actively burn u.s. flags on state media and call for our destruction. Nothing was needed to justify your made up war crimes in any of those countries because they all started the wars. Japan bombed pearl harbor. North Korea invaded South Korea. Vietnam Gulf of tonkin. Etc etc.

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world -1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Without America the Palestine people would have starved to death years ago. Their own Arabian brothers won’t even help them.

Iran won't help Palestine, but also Iran is the shadowy hand behind Hamas.

Egypt won't help Palestine, but the CIA/MI5 need to coup the elected government every decade or three when it gets to Muslim Brotherhood-y.

Lebanon won't help Palestine, but Israel says there are tunnels into Gaza from Lebanon so they need to start bombing again.

Turkyie won't help Palestine, but the IDF had to murder Turkish aid workers in 2010 to prevent their aid flotilla from reaching the shore.

[–] Billy@lemmy.dbzer0.com -1 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

So Palestinians are Hamas?
Why is Iran not helping Fatah?
Their support of Hamas is on ideological grounds. Israel is holy waqf land that belongs to Muslims and should be cleansed from Jews.

Even when Egypt had sovereignty over Gaza they made sure to prevent Palestinians from going to Egypt.

Tunnels from Lebanon... to Gaza..? Where'd you read that?
Hezbollah begun bombing Israel in support of Hamas. They're also funded by Iran (much more than Hamas though).
Meanwhile Palestinians live in camps in Lebanon. Some of those walled and surrounded by watchtowers.
They have less rights there than anyone else (including refugees and migrant workers), despite living there for 3 generations at this point.

Turkey under Erdogan has been mostly hosting Hamas leaders while bombing Kurds in Syria.

I don't think much needs to be said about Assad.

The only country in the area which actually helped Palestinians was Jordan. Although that also changed for a while after Black September.

Most of UNRWA's funding over the years has come from the EU and USA.

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world -1 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

Israel is holy waqf land that belongs to Muslims and should be cleansed from Jews.

That's crazy because I've heard Israelis assert the exact opposite.

Most of UNRWA’s funding over the years has come from the EU and USA.

There's a certain dramatic irony in funding UNRWA, paying Israel to bomb UNRWA, and then claiming you're the only folks providing aid to Palestinians.

[–] Billy@lemmy.dbzer0.com -1 points 3 months ago

That's crazy because I've heard Israelis assert the exact opposite.

Yes, religious extremists exist also in Israel.

There's a certain dramatic irony in funding UNRWA, paying Israel to bomb UNRWA, and then claiming you're the only folks providing aid to Palestinians.

I'm not the one who wrote USA is the only one providing aid.
What you quoted is the reality. The bulk of the funding over the years has been from the USA and the EU.

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world -1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2007/07/gary-hart-lynne-cheney-and-war-with-china/7644/

Early in 2001, the commission presented a report to the incoming G.W. Bush administration warning that terrorism would be the nation's greatest national security problem, and saying that unless the United States took proper protective measures a terrorist attack was likely within its borders. Neither the president nor the vice president nor any other senior official from the new administration took time to meet with the commission members or hear about their findings.

The commission had 14 members, split 7-7, Republican and Democrat, as is de rigeur for bodies of this type. Today Hart told me that in the first few meetings, commission members would go around the room and volunteer their ideas about the nation's greatest vulnerabilities, most urgent needs, and so on.

At the first meeting, one Republican woman on the commission said that the overwhelming threat was from China. Sooner or later the U.S. would end up in a military showdown with the Chinese Communists. There was no avoiding it, and we would only make ourselves weaker by waiting. No one else spoke up in support.

The same thing happened at the second meeting -- discussion from other commissioners about terrorism, nuclear proliferation, anarchy of failed states, etc, and then this one woman warning about the looming Chinese menace. And the third meeting too. Perhaps more.

Finally, in frustration, this woman left the commission.

"Her name was Lynne Cheney," Hart said. "I am convinced that if it had not been for 9/11, we would be in a military showdown with China today." Not because of what China was doing, threatening, or intending, he made clear, but because of the assumptions the Administration brought with it when taking office. (My impression is that Chinese leaders know this too, which is why there are relatively few complaints from China about the Iraq war. They know that it got the U.S. off China's back!)

[–] HomerianSymphony@lemmy.world 0 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

So what you’re saying is: Lynne Cheney has been wrong for 23 years so far.

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world -1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Plenty of folks on here have bought into the China Boogeyman narrative. Her family's propaganda has been devastatingly effective. We likely will be at war with China in another generation, given our current trajectory.

[–] Maggoty@lemmy.world 0 points 3 months ago (1 children)

China isn't blameless. Factory and camp narratives aside, their naval actions are bellicose.

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world -1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

their naval actions are bellicose

The atrocities that western nations have had to commit to keep a foothold in places like Osaka, the Philippines, Indonesia, Pakistan, and India really disqualify any of these folks from claiming another country is "bellicose". We're still out in Oceania committing genocides of native peoples, to this day.

That's before you get into some belly-aching about a Chinese warship sailing through the Straight of Taiwan, as though its not American property.

[–] Maggoty@lemmy.world 0 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Hahaha. First of all this is old, there's not any bases in Afghanistan anymore. Second, this is the same propaganda Russia runs with about NATO. They do belligerent stuff and then complain when their neighbors ask the country with a bigger stick for protection. Also, did someone include HK in this graphic? I know there's lots of US bases in the Pacific, but I think someone is gilding the lily.

But also no, it's not just about sailing a ship through Taiwanese waters. We do the same thing to China all the time, just to remind them that under international law that's okay.

It's conducting war games that completely surround Taiwan.

It's claiming a ridiculous area for it's EEZ, far larger than international law allows and completely disregarding any potential EEZ for other countries in the area.

It's sinking fishing vessels in international water

It's hacking the government systems of it's neighbors

The list goes on...

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world -1 points 3 months ago

there’s not any bases in Afghanistan anymore

There actually are several NATO installations still in and around Kabul to secure the international airport and the US Embassy.

It’s conducting war games that completely surround Taiwan.

The US also conducts war games across the South China Sea, including between China and Japan and through the Chinese territorial waters in and around the Korean peninsula. These have become tit-for-tat exercises, and would stop if the US was no longer in the region.

It’s claiming a ridiculous area for it’s EEZ

Glances at the US base map Yes. Ridiculous.

It’s sinking fishing vessels in international water

Show your work. When did China conduct a military operation to sink a fishing vessel?

It’s hacking the government systems of it’s neighbors

I'm sure they'll quit right after the NSA does.

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world -1 points 3 months ago

I don’t understand why it’s so mainstream to equate Palestine with Hamas

Decades of Islamophobic propaganda combined with a strong American economic interest in Israel might have played a role.

[–] autonomoususer@lemmy.world 0 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Meanwhile we get banned here for saying war crimes bad.

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world -1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

You can't say war crimes are bad, because that helps Trump win. Trump will do more war crimes. Ergo, saying war crimes are bad means you're in favor of war crimes.

[–] uis@lemm.ee 0 points 3 months ago (1 children)

You can't say war crimes are bad, because that helps Trump win.

So am I supposed to root for Putin now?

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world -1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

You need to root for Joe Biden, because he is the only man who has ever beaten Donald Drumpf.

If you are not rooting for Joe Biden, you are anti-American.

[–] FordBeeblebrox@lemmy.world 0 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Can I root for Bernie and begrudgingly vote for Biden at least? This lesser of two old white evils shit is exhausting

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world -1 points 3 months ago

Nobody is stopping you.

[–] Prandom_returns@lemm.ee -1 points 3 months ago

REGULATE MONOPOLIES