Last week Microsoft admitted providing large amounts of AI and cloud storage services to Israel during its genocide of Gaza, but said an internal investigation found no evidence the IDF “used these services to target or harm Palestinians.”
Over three decades ago I switched to using only freely licensed software. All of my computers run on GNU/Linux. (Freely licensed software means free as in right to use, inspect, and distribute, not free as in beer.)
For privacy it has been long obvious that Microsoft does not place a high priority on preserving yours.
But cool games run on WIndows!
Now it is obvious that the price for cool games is too damn high. Killing defenseless residents of an open air prison is morally repugnant. Stop using Microsoft products which do not respect either your freedom or sense of moral justice.
I have long been a member of the Free Software Foundation, https://www.fsf.org. I encourage all to visit and to switch to software freedom.
I've alwaays been intimidated by Linux but I'm hopefully going to have some time to recuperate after hopefully donating a kidney so this might be my best opportunity to learn and leave Microsoft far behind finally.
“Far from being harmless, these people are the architects of harm.” Their creations are a disgusting waste of human creativity and intelligence. It is very well-documented, as you lay out, that many of the tech leaders in “startup nation” make their bones in elite units. Here is the state of Israel bragging about the pipeline https://www.idf.il/en/mini-sites/our-soldiers/startup-soldiers-from-the-idf-to-high-tech-success/ Independent of the details of the specific surveillance and weapons systems they create, both programmers and investors make key connections and gain experience in an apartheid system propped up by force.
These military opportunities are not available to Palestinian citizens of Israel, and of course not to Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, or the diaspora. Moreover, these opportunities wouldn’t exist without a massive military. No Israeli supremacy = no requirement for Israeli Jewish military = no special opportunities for a portion of the population = innovation driven by civilian needs, rather than ‘defense.’
Over three decades ago I switched to using only freely licensed software. All of my computers run on GNU/Linux. (Freely licensed software means free as in right to use, inspect, and distribute, not free as in beer.)
For privacy it has been long obvious that Microsoft does not place a high priority on preserving yours.
But cool games run on WIndows!
Now it is obvious that the price for cool games is too damn high. Killing defenseless residents of an open air prison is morally repugnant. Stop using Microsoft products which do not respect either your freedom or sense of moral justice.
I have long been a member of the Free Software Foundation, https://www.fsf.org. I encourage all to visit and to switch to software freedom.
I've alwaays been intimidated by Linux but I'm hopefully going to have some time to recuperate after hopefully donating a kidney so this might be my best opportunity to learn and leave Microsoft far behind finally.
BOYCOTT MICROSOFT!
“Far from being harmless, these people are the architects of harm.” Their creations are a disgusting waste of human creativity and intelligence. It is very well-documented, as you lay out, that many of the tech leaders in “startup nation” make their bones in elite units. Here is the state of Israel bragging about the pipeline https://www.idf.il/en/mini-sites/our-soldiers/startup-soldiers-from-the-idf-to-high-tech-success/ Independent of the details of the specific surveillance and weapons systems they create, both programmers and investors make key connections and gain experience in an apartheid system propped up by force.
These military opportunities are not available to Palestinian citizens of Israel, and of course not to Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, or the diaspora. Moreover, these opportunities wouldn’t exist without a massive military. No Israeli supremacy = no requirement for Israeli Jewish military = no special opportunities for a portion of the population = innovation driven by civilian needs, rather than ‘defense.’
Here is a 10-minute podcast from the WSJ, again lauding Unit 8200’s ‘illustrious’ alums. https://www.wsj.com/podcasts/tech-news-briefing/this-israeli-army-unit-has-become-an-incubator-for-tech-startups/ This explores links to Microsoft and others https://www.newarab.com/news/how-us-tech-giants-armed-israel-ai-sparking-warfare-debate Here, from “If I die” poet Refaat Alareer is a disappointed review of https://electronicintifada.net/content/spyware-expose-lets-israel-hook/38161 of Pegasus. There are many more explorations of how this unit works to seed tech startups.
What a giant load of BS