The act of Palestinian activists covering their faces during anti-Israeli occupation rallies is an old practice that spans decades. The masking of the face, often by Kufyias \u2013 traditional Palestinian scarves that grew to symbolize Palestinian resistance \u2013 is far from being a fashion statement. Instead, it is a survival technique, without it, activists are likely to be arrested in subsequent nightly raids; at times, even assassinated.<\/span><\/p>\n In the past, Israel used basic technologies to identify Palestinians who take part in protests and mobilize the people in various popular activities. TV news footage or newspaper photos were thoroughly deciphered, often with the help of Israel\u2019s collaborators in the Occupied Territories, and the \u2018culprits\u2019 would be identified, summoned to meet Shin Bet intelligence officers or arrested from their homes.<\/span><\/p>\n That old technique was eventually replaced by more advanced technology, countless images transmitted directly through Israeli drones \u2013 the flagship of Israel\u2019s \u201csecurity industry\u201d. Thousands of Palestinians were detained and hundreds were assassinated in recent years as a result of drones data, analyzed through Israel\u2019s burgeoning facial recognition software.<\/span><\/p>\n If, in the past, Palestinian activists were keen on keeping their identity hidden, now they have much more compelling reasons to ensure the complete secrecy of their work. Considering the information sharing between the Israeli army and illegal Jewish settlers and their armed militias in the occupied West Bank, Palestinians face the double threat of being targeted by armed settlers as well as by Israeli soldiers.<\/span><\/p>\n True, when it comes to Israel, such a grim reality is hardly surprising. But what is truly disturbing is the direct involvement of international corporate giants, the likes of Microsoft, in facilitating the work of the Israeli military, whose sole aim is to crush any form of dissent among Palestinians.<\/span><\/p>\n Microsoft prides itself on being a leader in corporate social responsibility (CSR), emphasizing that \u201cprivacy (is) a fundamental human right.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The Washington-State based software giant dedicates much attention, at least on paper, to the subject of human rights. \u201cMicrosoft is committed to respecting human rights,\u201d Microsoft Global Human Rights Statement asserts. \u201cWe do this by harnessing the beneficial power of technology to help realize and sustain human rights everywhere.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n In practice, however, Microsoft\u2019s words are hardly in line with its action, at least not when its human rights maxims are applied to occupied and besieged Palestinians.<\/span><\/p>\n Writing in the American news network NBC News on October 27, Olivia Solon reported on Microsoft funding of the Israeli firm, AnyVision, which uses facial recognition \u201cto secretly watch West Bank Palestinians\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n Through its venture capital arm M12, Microsoft has reportedly invested $78 million in the Israeli startup company that \u201cuses facial recognition to surveil Palestinians throughout the West Bank, in spite of the tech giant\u2019s public pledge to avoid using the technology if it encroaches on democratic freedoms\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n AnyVision had developed an \u201cadvanced tactical surveillance\u201d software system, dubbed \u201cBetter Tomorrow\u201d that, according to a joint NBC News-Haaretz investigation, \u201clets customers identify individuals and objects in any live camera feed, such as a security camera or smartphone, and then track targets as they move between different feeds.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n As disquieting as \u201cBetter Tomorrow\u2019s\u201d mission sounds, it takes on a truly sinister objective in Palestine. \u201cAccording to five sources familiar with the matter,\u201d wrote Solon, \u201cAnyVision\u2019s technology powers a secret military surveillance project throughout the West Bank.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOne source said the project is nicknamed \u2018Google Ayosh,\u2019 where \u2018Ayosh\u2019 means occupied Palestinian territories and \u2018Google\u2019 denotes the technology\u2019s ability to search for people.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Headquartered in Israel, AnyVision has several offices around the world, including the US, the UK and Singapore. Considering the nature of AnyVision\u2019s work, and the intrinsic link between Israel\u2019s technology sector and the country\u2019s military, it should have been assumed that the company\u2019s software is likely used to track down Palestinian dissidents.<\/span><\/p>\n In July, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz pointed out that \u201cAnyVision is taking part in two special projects in assisting the Israeli army in the West Bank. One involves a system that it has installed at army checkpoints that thousands of Palestinians pass through each day on their way to work from the West Bank.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Former AnyVision employees spoke to NBC News about their experiences with the company, one even asserting that he\/she \u201csaw no evidence that ethical considerations drove any business decisions\u201d at the firm.<\/span><\/p>\n The alarming reports invited strong protests by human rights organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).<\/span><\/p>\n Alas, Microsoft carried on with supporting AnyVision\u2019s work unhindered.<\/span><\/p>\n This is not the first time that Microsoft is caught red-handed in its support of the Israeli military or criticized for other unethical practices.<\/span><\/p>\n Unlike Facebook, Google and others, who are constantly, albeit deservingly being chastised for violating privacy rules or allowing politics to influence their editorial agenda, Microsoft has been left largely outside the brewing controversies. But, like the rest, Microsoft should be held to account.<\/span><\/p>\n In its \u2018Human Rights Statement\u2019, Microsoft declared its respect for human rights based on international conventions, starting with the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.<\/span><\/p>\n In occupying and oppressing Palestinians, Israel violates every article of that declaration, starting with Article 1, which states that \u201cAll human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights,\u201d and including Article 3: \u201cEveryone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n It will take Microsoft more than hyperlinking to a UN document to show true and sincere respect for human rights.<\/span><\/p>\n Indeed, for a company that enjoys great popularity throughout the Middle East and in Palestine itself, an inevitable first step towards respecting human rights is to immediately divest from AnyVision, coupled with an apology for all of those who have already paid the price for that ominous Israeli technology.<\/span><\/p>\n