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> TIL that Microsoft is the least Israel-friendly of the big three clouds This is a good thing. American companies should not be allowing their tech to be use

> TIL that Microsoft is the least Israel-friendly of the big three clouds This is a good thing. American companies should not be allowing their tech to be used to in the gross ongoing human rights violations in Israel/Gaza/West Bank. Google and Amazon knew their tech could be used for human rights abuses in Israel (their lawyers warned them so) but ignored that in favour of $$$ per the EFF: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/04/google-and-amazon-acknowledged-risks-and-ignored-responsibilities https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/04/google-and-amazon-ackn...

ToucanLoucan 5mo ago
[flagged]
- bhouston 5mo ago
  > Fully agreed, but also a hard sell given that America itself does not recognize what is happening there as a genocide. This has nothing to do with a declaration of genocide. Both Amazon and Google respectively have made commitments to not enable human rights violations: https://sustainability.aboutamazon.com/human-rights/principles#How%20we%20do%20this https://sustainability.aboutamazon.com/human-rights/principl... https://about.google/company-info/human-rights/ https://about.google/company-info/human-rights/
  - ToucanLoucan 5mo ago
    Well clearly they didn't mean much, which is about what I expect from any corporate policy declaration such as. If you believed them anyway, congratulations on having far more faith in corporations than I do.
- stasomatic 5mo ago
  Like... all of us 300 million plus? Thanks dude.
  - undeveloper 5mo ago
    [flagged]
  - XorNot 5mo ago
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    - stasomatic 5mo ago
      [flagged]
    - syeare 5mo ago
      As if voting changes anything beyond the color ("red"/"blue") of the paid-off figurehead in power Voting hasn't been anywhere remotely close to real since the 20th century
danudey 5mo ago
[flagged]
- bhouston 5mo ago
  > Yeah but when you read the article it comes across less like 'Microsoft doesn't want its services used for ethics violations' and more 'The unethical genocide Israel is doing uses some servers in the EU exposing Microsoft to legal and regulatory issues'. You are incorrect. Microsoft has made clear that it is related to all of its Azure services that were misused with regards to its terms of services, not just those in Europe. Here is Microsoft's original statement when it began this investigation: "The Guardian, on that date, reported that multiple individuals have asserted that the IDF is using Azure for the storage of data files of phone calls obtained through broad or mass surveillance of civilians in Gaza and the West Bank. Microsoft’s standard terms of service prohibit this type of usage." https://blogs.microsoft.com/on-the-issues/2025/05/15/statement-technology-israel-gaza/ https://blogs.microsoft.com/on-the-issues/2025/05/15/stateme...
  - shevy-java 5mo ago
    Ok, so The Guardian was incomplete in its assumptions. But Microsoft's explanation also does not make sense - see how they have to support any war waged by the US government. They would have had to support the Vietnam war, if were were in that era back. Something does not add up here still.
    - bhouston 5mo ago
      > see how they have to support any war waged by the US government. They would have had to support the Vietnam war, if were were in that era back. Something does not add up here still. I am so confused by these statements. Microsoft and other private companies do not have to knowingly violate human rights in the service of the US government whether it is war or not. https://www.justsecurity.org/113820/us-corporate-interests-human-rights/ https://www.justsecurity.org/113820/us-corporate-interests-h... https://www.state.gov/bureau-of-democracy-human-rights-and-labor/releases/2025/01/business-and-human-rights https://www.state.gov/bureau-of-democracy-human-rights-and-l...
frumplestlatz 5mo ago
[flagged]
- megabless123 5mo ago
  https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/09/israel-has-committed-genocide-gaza-strip-un-commission-finds https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/09/israel-has-c... GENEVA – Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel said in a new report today. The Commission urges Israel and all States to fulfil their legal obligations under international law to end the genocide and punish those responsible for it.
  - krembo 5mo ago
    [flagged]
    - array_key_first 5mo ago
      The UN, like most western organizations, is biased in favor of Israel. Meaning, this reporting is what favorable coverage looks like. You should read unfavorable coverage, it's much much worse. It took the UN a long time to acknowledge Israel even did anything wrong.
      - krembo 5mo ago
        [flagged]
      - frumplestlatz 5mo ago
        [flagged]
        array_key_first 5mo ago
        The UN is a political tool absolutely - and it's one that's biased in favor of Israel. Look, you have to understand that you and I are looking at this from a western lense. The west is EXTREMELY pro-israel. So your Overton window isnt just shifted a little buddy. It's fucking whiplashed alllllll the way to one side. So yes, from your perspective or mine the UN might appear as not pro Israel. But um, they are, and quite a bit too. Again, if you want to see actual real anti-israel reporting, read stuff from Iran. You will surely notice it sounds very, very different from how the UN portrays Israel.
yodsanklai 5mo ago
> American companies should not be allowing their tech to ... Do they have a choice?
- idle_zealot 5mo ago
  In what dimension do you mean? Legally? Yes, unless based out of a place with an anti-BDS law. Politically? Sure, it's a bet against those currently in power and for the sentiment in the population. Practically? Yes, they can refuse business and contracts. I suppose they could also put killswitches in their hardware/software, but I wouldn't be a fan of that for digital-rights reasons. Economically? Who knows, the market makes no sense at all currently. They could probably get away with whatever.
george916a 5mo ago
[flagged]
drnick1 5mo ago
[flagged]
- righthand 5mo ago
  [flagged]
  - minimal_action 5mo ago
    [flagged]
ApolloFortyNine 5mo ago
Thanks for the link, I didn't realize the EFF spent their money on such things. I honestly thought they focused on free speech/privacy/open source. I'm not trying to argue pro Israel or what not, I just wish they'd focus on their core mission.
- 4MOAisgoodenuf 5mo ago
  Somewhat hard to be neutral when outgrowths of the Israeli state like the NSO Group and Canary Mission start taking a stand against privacy and free speech
- exolymph 5mo ago
  [flagged]
  - nelox 5mo ago
    [flagged]
  - sdellis 5mo ago
    This comment makes it sound like you are trying to belittle people who work at nonprofits to make yourself feel better about putting profits over people.
- sdellis 5mo ago
  The EFF's mission is to ensure that technology supports freedom, justice, and innovation for all people of the world. That is verbatim off their website. It appears that this perfectly in line with their core mission.
- starefossen 5mo ago
  Freedom is literally in their name. Can it be more core than that?
  - planteur 5mo ago
    Unless I'm missing something, it literally is not?
deleted 5mo ago
[deleted]

ToucanLoucan 5mo ago

[flagged]

bhouston 5mo ago
> Fully agreed, but also a hard sell given that America itself does not recognize what is happening there as a genocide. This has nothing to do with a declaration of genocide. Both Amazon and Google respectively have made commitments to not enable human rights violations: https://sustainability.aboutamazon.com/human-rights/principles#How%20we%20do%20this https://sustainability.aboutamazon.com/human-rights/principl... https://about.google/company-info/human-rights/ https://about.google/company-info/human-rights/
- ToucanLoucan 5mo ago
  Well clearly they didn't mean much, which is about what I expect from any corporate policy declaration such as. If you believed them anyway, congratulations on having far more faith in corporations than I do.
stasomatic 5mo ago
Like... all of us 300 million plus? Thanks dude.
- undeveloper 5mo ago
  [flagged]
- XorNot 5mo ago
  [flagged]
  - stasomatic 5mo ago
    [flagged]
  - syeare 5mo ago
    As if voting changes anything beyond the color ("red"/"blue") of the paid-off figurehead in power Voting hasn't been anywhere remotely close to real since the 20th century

danudey 5mo ago

[flagged]

bhouston 5mo ago
> Yeah but when you read the article it comes across less like 'Microsoft doesn't want its services used for ethics violations' and more 'The unethical genocide Israel is doing uses some servers in the EU exposing Microsoft to legal and regulatory issues'. You are incorrect. Microsoft has made clear that it is related to all of its Azure services that were misused with regards to its terms of services, not just those in Europe. Here is Microsoft's original statement when it began this investigation: "The Guardian, on that date, reported that multiple individuals have asserted that the IDF is using Azure for the storage of data files of phone calls obtained through broad or mass surveillance of civilians in Gaza and the West Bank. Microsoft’s standard terms of service prohibit this type of usage." https://blogs.microsoft.com/on-the-issues/2025/05/15/statement-technology-israel-gaza/ https://blogs.microsoft.com/on-the-issues/2025/05/15/stateme...
- shevy-java 5mo ago
  Ok, so The Guardian was incomplete in its assumptions. But Microsoft's explanation also does not make sense - see how they have to support any war waged by the US government. They would have had to support the Vietnam war, if were were in that era back. Something does not add up here still.
  - bhouston 5mo ago
    > see how they have to support any war waged by the US government. They would have had to support the Vietnam war, if were were in that era back. Something does not add up here still. I am so confused by these statements. Microsoft and other private companies do not have to knowingly violate human rights in the service of the US government whether it is war or not. https://www.justsecurity.org/113820/us-corporate-interests-human-rights/ https://www.justsecurity.org/113820/us-corporate-interests-h... https://www.state.gov/bureau-of-democracy-human-rights-and-labor/releases/2025/01/business-and-human-rights https://www.state.gov/bureau-of-democracy-human-rights-and-l...

frumplestlatz 5mo ago

[flagged]

megabless123 5mo ago
https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/09/israel-has-committed-genocide-gaza-strip-un-commission-finds https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/09/israel-has-c... GENEVA – Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel said in a new report today. The Commission urges Israel and all States to fulfil their legal obligations under international law to end the genocide and punish those responsible for it.
- krembo 5mo ago
  [flagged]
  - array_key_first 5mo ago
    The UN, like most western organizations, is biased in favor of Israel. Meaning, this reporting is what favorable coverage looks like. You should read unfavorable coverage, it's much much worse. It took the UN a long time to acknowledge Israel even did anything wrong.
    - krembo 5mo ago
      [flagged]
    - frumplestlatz 5mo ago
      [flagged]
      - array_key_first 5mo ago
        The UN is a political tool absolutely - and it's one that's biased in favor of Israel. Look, you have to understand that you and I are looking at this from a western lense. The west is EXTREMELY pro-israel. So your Overton window isnt just shifted a little buddy. It's fucking whiplashed alllllll the way to one side. So yes, from your perspective or mine the UN might appear as not pro Israel. But um, they are, and quite a bit too. Again, if you want to see actual real anti-israel reporting, read stuff from Iran. You will surely notice it sounds very, very different from how the UN portrays Israel.

yodsanklai 5mo ago

> American companies should not be allowing their tech to ... Do they have a choice?

idle_zealot 5mo ago
In what dimension do you mean? Legally? Yes, unless based out of a place with an anti-BDS law. Politically? Sure, it's a bet against those currently in power and for the sentiment in the population. Practically? Yes, they can refuse business and contracts. I suppose they could also put killswitches in their hardware/software, but I wouldn't be a fan of that for digital-rights reasons. Economically? Who knows, the market makes no sense at all currently. They could probably get away with whatever.

george916a 5mo ago

[flagged]

drnick1 5mo ago

[flagged]

righthand 5mo ago
[flagged]
- minimal_action 5mo ago
  [flagged]

ApolloFortyNine 5mo ago

Thanks for the link, I didn't realize the EFF spent their money on such things. I honestly thought they focused on free speech/privacy/open source. I'm not trying to argue pro Israel or what not, I just wish they'd focus on their core mission.

4MOAisgoodenuf 5mo ago
Somewhat hard to be neutral when outgrowths of the Israeli state like the NSO Group and Canary Mission start taking a stand against privacy and free speech
exolymph 5mo ago
[flagged]
- nelox 5mo ago
  [flagged]
- sdellis 5mo ago
  This comment makes it sound like you are trying to belittle people who work at nonprofits to make yourself feel better about putting profits over people.
sdellis 5mo ago
The EFF's mission is to ensure that technology supports freedom, justice, and innovation for all people of the world. That is verbatim off their website. It appears that this perfectly in line with their core mission.
starefossen 5mo ago
Freedom is literally in their name. Can it be more core than that?
- planteur 5mo ago
  Unless I'm missing something, it literally is not?

deleted 5mo ago

[deleted]