7 ms·
Norway wealth fund to vote for human rights report at Microsoft, against Nadella
- pbiggar 11mo agoSince it doesn't say it in the article, the human rights they're referring to is that Microsoft was caught providing Azure services to the Israeli army's unit 8200, which used them to surveil millions of hours of Palestinian calls. Microsoft, Google, Amazon and Palantir are all providing cloud and AI services to Israel which it uses it the genocide in Gaza and the continued military occupation of Palestine. - https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/aug/09/microsoft-israeli-military-azure-cloud-investigation https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/aug/09/microsoft... - https://www.972mag.com/microsoft-8200-intelligence-surveillance-cloud-azure/ https://www.972mag.com/microsoft-8200-intelligence-surveilla... - https://afsc.org/newsroom/unprecedented-investor-action-demands-microsoft-answer-reported-involvement-gaza-genocide https://afsc.org/newsroom/unprecedented-investor-action-dema... - https://countercurrents.org/2025/11/microsoft-ignites-protests-for-collusion-in-gaza-genocide/ https://countercurrents.org/2025/11/microsoft-ignites-protes...
- reactordev 11mo agoYes, let’s go after US Steel because some guy with a gun shot up a school. Unless Microsoft is directly supplying the software which surveils instead of just “general purpose compute” this isn’t as big as Norway would want you to believe. They can just terminate the accounts as violations of terms of service and claim that millions of users use azure cloud to serve websites and content, the dance will go on. I don’t think punishing the steel maker for a gun maker who sold it to a distributor who then sold it to a nut job should be liable for the nut job. This is the same for tech. Sub contractors for Israel government got Azure hosting and subbed it out to Palantir to plant their platform inside (gun maker) and then sold it to Israel (nut job). Palantir on the other hand…
- tsimionescu 11mo ago[flagged]
- akho 11mo agoThat's the yardstick people use to measure Sweden, yes. Similarly applicable here.
- Ponet1945 11mo agoSweden was under threat of invasion and still helped the allies, what's Microsoft's excuse?
- saubeidl 11mo agoThey like money.
- boringg 11mo agoApples and Oranges comparison here. This isn't a world war we are talking about.
- reactordev 11mo agoIsn’t it though? When AI is used against the people and fake media is used to cover up war crimes, what’s not to stop there? When your feeds have been polluted with outside foreign influencers that you explode from within, what’s not to stop there? It’s war alright. Just not the kind of war Spielberg thinks would make a great film.
- tehjoker 11mo agoHave you seen pictures of Gaza? Scenes like this haven't been seen since WW2, maybe the Korean War or the Cambodia campaign.
- loeg 11mo ago
- embedding-shape 11mo ago> the human rights they're referring to is that Microsoft was caught providing Azure services to the Israeli army's unit 8200, which used them to surveil millions of hours of Palestinian calls. That's what I thought initially too, but seems this is about a different human rights issue, particularly in Saudi Arabia: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46097244 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46097244
- JeffMc1 11mo ago[dead]
- pappaguter 11mo ago[flagged]
- grafmax 11mo agoWhere moral superiority means condemning genocide.
- holbrad 11mo ago[flagged]
- guerrilla 11mo agoThoroughly-documented officially-declared genocide.
- nmridul 11mo agohttps://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/dec/05/israels-war-in-gaza-amounts-to-genocide-amnesty-international-report-finds https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/dec/05/israels-war-in...
- pappaguter 11mo ago[flagged]
- saubeidl 11mo agoDid you create an account just to troll?
- holbrad 11mo agoA very reputable source...
- deleted 11mo ago[deleted]
- 11mo ago
- pbiggar 11mo agoIf you'd like to know more about Microsoft's human rights issues, I had a lead campaigner discuss it with me on my podcast https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A95asBbCNZo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A95asBbCNZo
- embedding-shape 11mo agoWith a 1:16:29 runtime, could you at least share what parts are relevant to this submission, the very least timestamps? Even if I'd speed it up by 4x it'd take 30 minutes to listen to all of it.
- pkos98 11mo agoOr you ask Gemini to do this for you (timestamps were removed when formatting into markdown) Based on the podcast "Microsoft: Powering Israel’s Genocide? | Hossam Nasr," here are the main human rights issues alleged against Microsoft: 1. Complicity in Military Operations - The podcast claims Microsoft is a key tech provider for the Israeli military, specifically using the Azure cloud platform to run combat and intelligence activities. - It alleges Microsoft sells AI services (including OpenAI models) to military units like "Mamram," which are linked to automated targeting systems used to accelerate lethal strikes. 2. Surveillance and Infrastructure - Microsoft is accused of hosting roughly 13.6 petabytes of data used for mass surveillance. - The "Al-Munassiq" app, used by Palestinians to manage movement permits, reportedly runs on Azure and is described as a tool for collecting vast amounts of surveillance data. - The company reportedly sells technology directly to illegal settlements in the West Bank. 3. Internal Labor Rights & Suppression - The speaker alleges a double standard and discrimination against Palestinian and Arab employees. - Microsoft is accused of "weaponizing" HR policies to fire workers (including the podcast guest) for organizing vigils or protesting the company's military contracts. 4. Historical Context - The discussion references Microsoft's history of providing tech to ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) in the US as part of a broader pattern of supporting "systems of oppression." Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A95asBbCNZo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A95asBbCNZo Prompt: “ According to this podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A95asBbCNZo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A95asBbCNZo What are the main human rights issues of Microsoft?” Used Gemini 3 (Thinking) via WebUI
- nemo44x 11mo ago[flagged]
- spwa4 11mo agoAnd that isn't what should happen in a democracy. What percentage of Norway would really be willing to sacrifice their pensions for this? I don't know but I would bet a lot it's single digit percentage at most. So this show is exactly what should happen in a democracy, isn't it?
- saubeidl 11mo ago> What percentage of Norway would really be willing to sacrifice their pensions for this? I don't know but I would bet a lot it's single digit percentage at most. Luckily, even if their MS investment goes to 0, it wouldn't be "sacrificing their pensions". Around 2.5% of the wealth fund is invested in MS, so it seems to line up pretty well with your "single digit percentage at most."
- quijoteuniv 11mo agoI think you subestimate the mount of decency it exist in Norway. But i do agree that Far Right Players always focus on the feelings of pepple, and the less educated react strongly against scarcity. Easy targets.
- nemo44x 11mo agoThe fact it’s benign means something, I guess. Slippery slope perhaps, but in this matter at this moment it doesn’t have any hope of changing anything.
- PieTime 11mo agoWing-nut? Is that now the census for the majority of the world outside of the US and UK? If we’re looking at legal precedent, then not taking action could see massive legal challenges that could destroy Microsoft for complicity in genocide.
- nemo44x 11mo ago
- nakamoto_damacy 11mo ago[flagged]
- allisdust 11mo agoCasually throw 1.5 billion Indians under the bus. Along with antisemitism and conspiracies HN does need a flag comment button
- sva_ 11mo agoThere is, when you click on the timestamp of the comment.
- nakamoto_damacy 11mo ago[flagged]
- embedding-shape 11mo ago> Norway’s $2 trillion wealth fund said on Sunday it would vote for a shareholder proposal > Microsoft management had recommended shareholders voted against the motion. Ok, cool, but what about the reasons for those actions? What kind of lazy journalism is this? I guess it's nice that we know that something is happening, but what about reaching out to people and asking them why so people can actually understand? For the love of Adam Smith, at least mention the involved countries!
- NickC25 11mo ago[flagged]
- outside1234 11mo ago[flagged]
- gbear605 11mo agoIt’s because Israel isn’t relevant here, it’s Saudi Arabia
- kachapopopow 11mo agook I actually wanted to look up what antisematism actually means since the only context I've seen it is israel, so I looked up what sematism is which lead me to one who has sematic qualities which is: Semitic of, relating to, or constituting a subfamily of the Afro-Asiatic language family that includes Hebrew, Aramaic, Arabic, and Amharic Saudi Arabia is arabic so technically they're correct?
- School-Cotton 11mo ago"semitic" has this broader meaning, yes, but the specific term "antisemitism" is only used to refer to Jews, not to Arabs (or, for that matter, Amharic-speaking Ethiopians). It also doesn't specifically refer to the State of Israel, but to Jews everywhere.
- JauntTrooper 11mo agoSome additional details: The proposal was submitted by an individual shareholder. She requests that the Board "commission a report assessing the implications of siting Microsoft cloud datacenters in countries of significant human rights concern, and the Company’s strategies for mitigating these impacts." She specifically cites the 2024 completion of a Microsoft datacenter in Saudi Arabia, citing a "State Department report [that] details the highly restrictive Saudi control of all internet activities and pervasive government surveillance, arrest, and prosecution of online activity." The Board opposes the proposal because it believes Microsoft already discloses extensive disclosures on key human rights risks, and has an independent assessment each year of how they manage risks and its commitment to protecting freedom of expression and user privacy. They also re-iterate the need to comply with local laws and legally binding requests for customer data. The proposal is non-binding, so the Board doesn't have to act on it even in the unlikely event it gets majority support (ESG proposals rarely do, especially in this environment). In practice many Boards do choose to act on majority-supported non-binding shareholder proposals, though, because many shareholders will vote against directors the following year if they don't.
- embedding-shape 11mo ago> Microsoft already discloses extensive disclosures on key human rights risks, and has an independent assessment each year of how they manage risks and its commitment to protecting freedom of expression and user privacy Where can one find those extensive disclosures, especially for year 2024/2025? I'd love to hear how Microsoft are protecting freedom of expression and user privacy in a country like Saudi Arabia, which has a track record of excelling at whatever you'd call the opposite of those two things.
- firesteelrain 11mo agohttps://www.microsoft.com/en-us/corporate-responsibility/reports-hub https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/corporate-responsibility/rep... https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/corporate-responsibility/human-rights-statement https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/corporate-responsibility/hum... https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/corporate-responsibility/reporting-governance https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/corporate-responsibility/rep... https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/corporate-responsibility/reports/government-requests/customer-data https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/corporate-responsibility/rep... https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/corporate-responsibility/government-content-removal-requests-report https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/corporate-responsibility/gov...
- PerryUlyssesCox 11mo agoNorway's wealth fund's annualized return is only 6.6% since 1998. https://www.nbim.no/en/investments/returns https://www.nbim.no/en/investments/returns Is this poor performance due to this kind of active management?
- lovich 11mo agoPerhaps the people of Norway value certain behaviors over maximum returns
- cromka 11mo agoThey probably need to maintain fluidity at any given moment, given this is a retirement fund. So no crazy but risky returns in portfolio. And this issue here is likely also about risk mitigation.
- embedding-shape 11mo agoNot sure if you're American, but investment funds in other countries, especially those with "hints of socialism" usually don't put "profit above all else" like is common in America, hence "good enough" is usually just that, good enough. Seems they're doing exactly what is expected of them, staying around the benchmark index, so that sounds pretty good: > The fund has outperformed the benchmark index set by the Ministry of Finance by 0.24 percentage point since 1998.
- ta12653421 11mo agohaha, LOL, OP talks nonsene: The 6.6% is actually quite good for such a hevicle!
- firefax 11mo ago"Only" 6%? Bonds (a safe investment) are usually at ~2%. A conservatively allocated growth fund doing 6% is pret-t-y good.
- PerryUlyssesCox 11mo agoSo bonds that have a negative return after inflation are a safe investment?
- bjourne 11mo ago[flagged]
- tehjoker 11mo agoIt looks like they divested from a 11 of 65 Israeli companies it holds shares in August. https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/society-equity/norway-wealth-fund-terminates-israel-asset-management-contracts-2025-08-11/ https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/society-equity/norway...
- ecommerceguy 11mo agoI'd like to see them pull all support for Bitcoin and crypto related "companies". As we all know, bitcoin's only use cases are scamming little old lady's out of thousands of dollars at atm's and speculation. It is not an investment vehicle, it is not a currency. If someone at the NWF is reading this, please take this into consideration. Let's start to take action against the fraud and grift, and try to make humanity a little better, one step at a time. Thank you.
- carlosjobim 11mo agoAfter decades of Bitcoin, how can you not know that it is the principal currency for darknet markets - ie the ability to purchase psychedelics without being involved with drug dealers?
- chhxdjsj 11mo agoHFSP
- datavirtue 11mo agoRight now an elderly person is jamming cash into a Bitcoin ATM for a scammer. Fact.
- jakupovic 11mo ago[flagged]
- csmpltn 11mo ago[flagged]
- aeternum 11mo agoEurope in general has become the world leader in tech company extortion. If you run a tech company, be very careful about selling into that market. You should generally have an army of lawyers before making the leap.
- lloydjones 11mo agoHow so?
- flohofwoe 11mo agoInvesting 50 billion into a company and then requiring at least a minimal amount of accountability about the company's business practices is called 'extortion' now? That's hell of a hot take :) If the company has completely lost its moral compass when doing business, it is entirely normal for shareholders to be worried about the company's future.
- ExoticPearTree 11mo agoYou invest momey to make even more money. Did MS broke any US laws making more money for Norway? No. If Norway has an issue with Microsoft, they should sell their shares in MSFT. Considering they’re not doing that, they are being dramatic for drama’s sake.
- saubeidl 11mo agoYou don't get to say why other people invest their money.
- NLips 11mo agoWhat do you think shareholder meetings are for?
- ExoticPearTree 11mo agoMy point was to the fact that they chose to have a fuss about what they're going to vote for, especially considering that they're a very small shareholder of MSFT.
- udev4096 11mo agoCrooks blaming crooks! What an irony
- voidfunc 11mo agoAs a shareholder, I dont care. The line just needs to go up.
- perbu 11mo agoYou are not a sovereign wealth fund representing a whole country, though.
- AGI-slop 11mo agoIts a bit late for Norway wealth fund to be concerned about human rights in tech companies dealings. Potentially damaging to Microsoft exposing how many children were __potentially__ killed or tortured with aid of Azure datacentres. That could damage Microsoft and potentially the wealth fund!
- flyinglizard 11mo agoDon’t forget the kids that were - potentially - saved by these very same Azure datacenters.
- AGI-slop 11mo agoYes 100% transparency, stop hiding in the dark, let bring these operations fully into the light
- metalman 11mo agofurther proof that exporting your contradictions is never good business, and tellingly, nobody is saying that it is a bad financial move to isist on change or disinvest, only that there "logic"isn't correct
- rcbdev 11mo agoThankfully, Norway's SWF does not own any IBM stock. https://web.archive.org/web/20240424201226/https://www.redhat.com/en/success-stories/mamram https://web.archive.org/web/20240424201226/https://www.redha...