Microsoft employees occupy headquarters in protest of Israel contracts / It’s the biggest escalation yet of the protests at Microsoft.
cross-posted from: programming.dev/post/35983430
Microsoft employees occupy headquarters in protest of Israel contracts / It’s the biggest escalation yet of the protests at Microsoft.
::: spoiler Comments
- Lemmy.
:::https://www.seattletimes.com/business/microsoft-workers-protesting-israel-ties-occupy-hq-campus/
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yesman
in reply to Pro • • •-Microsoft, in May
Dear Microsoft, If you looked for evidence, that is going to imply that your software could totally be used to harm people, it just isn't in this case. As far as you know.
FauxLiving
in reply to yesman • • •It’s one of those things that is literally true but misleading.
They store, for example, all of the calls (content and metadata) that is captured from Gaza(which is all of it, since they control the cellular network). This use of Azure doesn’t target or harm people, it just stores a tremendous amount of data.
The unsaid part is that this storage capability is later used by other data mining tools which analyze mass amounts of data in order to classify people as “Hamas” or “not-Hamas”.
It is THAT tool that was/is used to make targeting decisions.
So Azure wasn’t used to target people. It only provided the storage, which enabled the use of mass collection and data mining tools which was used to target people.
Just like how IBM didn’t run concentration camps, they just provided the punch card system that allowed the processing of census data. The processed data which was later used to round up people for the camps.
Microsoft is exactly that culpable for this genocide. They didn’t do anything illegal. However, in my opinion they are morally implicated in this. No matter how they want to try to distance themselves in press releases they are still, to this very hour, providing this capability.
Because it’s a lot of money and it isn’t their children.
Saleh
in reply to FauxLiving • • •Helping a genocide is very much illegal. If you sell precursor chemicals for poison gas to a death camp operator, you are also complicit.
After Oct. 7 the usage by the IDF exploded. In early 2024 reports about the AI tools used to justify slaughtering Civilians en masse came out, employees have been raising alarms through the "proper" channels and then went to public protest as Microsoft ignored them and cracked down on any mention of it in Forums, Town Halls and the like.
They absolutely know that they are complicit and would rot in prison the rest of their lifes if this goes to court properly.
undeffeined
in reply to Saleh • • •FauxLiving
in reply to undeffeined • • •Yes, and Microsoft lawyers have certainly gone over the contracts and communications to ensure that they’re always going to have plausible deniability as to what their client was doing.
The best we could hope for is some engineers to become whistleblowers and share what was said during in-person meetings, unrecorded conversations and in side channels, like Signal chats.
No Microsoft executives will ever see any legal consequences for this.
undeffeined
in reply to FauxLiving • • •Saleh
in reply to undeffeined • • •undeffeined
in reply to Saleh • • •I understand that but I don't see it being relevant.
Wasn't Putin declared a war criminal by some nation states but then nothing happens? And didn't the same happen to Israels prime minister? (Cant recall how to spell his name and not going to search for it now)
Maybe I'm just jaded but I don't see consequences coming for those who deserve it, I mean, the president of the united states is a convicted criminal...
Saleh
in reply to undeffeined • • •undeffeined
in reply to Saleh • • •MysteriousSophon21
in reply to FauxLiving • • •😈MedicPig🐷BabySaver😈
in reply to Pro • • •0x0
in reply to Pro • • •vala
in reply to 0x0 • • •Military contracts and genocide are two different things.
Like sure military contracting causes a net harm to society but we can't fault people for drawing a line somewhere.
0x0
in reply to vala • • •ohwhatfollyisman
in reply to Pro • • •FauxLiving
in reply to ohwhatfollyisman • • •WhatsHerBucket
in reply to FauxLiving • • •CriticalMiss
in reply to Pro • • •uhdeuidheuidhed
in reply to CriticalMiss • • •That's fine.
It means their expertise can only benefit companies that value morals.
Remember, corporations need us more than we need them.
doingthestuff
in reply to Pro • • •