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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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[–] [email protected] 62 points 5 months ago (19 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"?

[–] [email protected] 44 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (33 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.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 5 months ago (4 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!)

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

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

[–] [email protected] 11 points 5 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.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago (3 children)

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

[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 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.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago (3 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...

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Hahaha. First of all this is old

wow what an attitude. everything will get old, so you're fine with your sides atrocities cuz they're "old" but it's just not acceptable with others. Hahaha, suddenly a saint of peace, eh?

It more seems like you'll be fine by no matter what your side does, and will have deflections lined up with propaganda but are gonna have a meltdown when it's the other side doing what you fuckers do without consequences.

Attitude like yours is why there'll never be peace.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago

No it's also wrong. The US has never had a base in Hong Kong. And most of the bases in the area pre-date China's rise to being a regional power, much less their modern stance.

This is just straight up main character syndrome in national form.

Also we aren't out there sinking or seizing Chinese vessels and threatening invasions. Our entire stance is, "leave our allies alone".

But leave it to someone from .ml to ride in and try to twist the truth in China's favor.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago (1 children)

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.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago

Buddy. There are no more NATO forces in Afghanistan. The Embassy was evacuated. Bagram was evacuated. Years ago now.

And why is China punishing Taiwan for American war games? They have plenty of ocean to use. And are you now claiming Jeju Island for China?

Our bases are not an Exclusionary Economic Zone. The Nine Dashed Line is indefensible.

Oh, now I need to prove stuff after you show up with a gilded lily of a meme masquerading as a map?

And I don't dispute that the CIA hacks governments. I also don't pretend it's going to make them our friend or blame those countries for seeking protection from the CIA.

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[–] [email protected] 25 points 5 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.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 5 months ago

Basically we spent 20 years fighting "terrorists". So now it's really easy to paint one side or the other as the "terrorists". And thanks to Islamophobia pushed by mainstream TV shows and Movies, if you get painted as a "terrorist" then everyone in your country is also a "terrorist".

The word is in quotes because very few of the groups fought by regular forces (regular infantry as opposed to special operations) were actually international militant NGOs like Al Qaeda. Mostly they were local militias mad at the coalition forces for their own reasons, like "Why did you kill my kid in an airstrike!?!", or "I like the Taliban because they pay me really good for the poppy you torched. Also, you torched my livelihood in a country that has no safeguards against starving to death." And even the Taliban, ridiculously evil bastards that they are, were never an AQ like group. They were concerned solely with taking back Afghanistan.

All of this nuance was lost on anyone who didn't read the actual reports coming out of these countries though and many of those reports were classified. So all most people got was their favorite action and/or police drama shoveling the idea that all muslims are terrorists. With a side of Fox News villifying any brown people they could find.

So now, Israel walks in, sees all this, screams "terrorist!" and shoots the nearest Gazan kid. Predictable results were predicted many times by academic scholars.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 months ago (2 children)

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

Because the mainstream is unironically ignorant of the true political and social state of Palestinian society. They don't realise that Hamas is an extremist Palestinian political party, while the actual moderate Palestinian faction worthy of support is the Palestinian Liberation Organisation. Show them this Wikipedia page of the ongoing civil war among Palestinians and you'd get cricket noises from the average perpetually online mainstream.

Gaza is controlled by the Hamas, while the West Bank is controlled by PLO/Fatah. But no one in the mainstream in the Twiterrati, Facebook and other social media will know that, because they get junk food information from fake news and propaganda or their own bubble in those social platforms.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago

The PLO was voted out in Gaza because they were nothing but Israeli puppets. They actually lost the entire election, but Israel and the US blocked Hamas from taking control of the government in West Bank too. And now there's this narrative that Hamas violently seized power without acknowledging that there was an election and the result was not honored without that seizure.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago

The PLO isn't worth supporting at all. It's worth tearing down and starting over.

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