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Microsoft to probe Israeli company over surveillance of Palestinian

Saturday, 16 November 2019 3:18 PM [ Last Update: Monday, 18 November 2019 7:15 PM ]

The French headquarters of US multinational technology company Microsoft is seen in Issy-Les-Moulineaux, near Paris on November 27, 2017. ( AFP photo)

US technology company Microsoft says it is investigating whether the use of facial recognition technology developed by an Israeli startup it funded “complies with its ethics principles,” following reports that Israel uses the company’s facial recognition technology for surveillance on Palestinians.

Microsoft, which is based near Seattle, Washington, said in a statement Friday that former US Attorney General Eric Holder would lead a team from law firm Covington & Burling to conduct the probe.

Holder, the top US legal and law endorsement official under former President Barack Obama, was hired by Uber Technologies in 2017 to review claims of sexual harassment.

M12, the venture fund of Microsoft, participated in a $74 million investment in June on AnyVision, an Israeli startup based outside Tel Aviv.

AnyVision has come under scrutiny following reports by NBC News and Israeli media that its technology is used to surveil Palestinians who live in the occupied territories.

AnyVision has denied the reports, claiming its software was not used for surveillance and was deployed at border crossings for biometric identification.

The probe reflects growing unease about facial recognition surveillance in the United States and elsewhere that human rights organizations say could limit freedom of expression and lead to unfair arrests.

Microsoft announced facial recognition ethics principles last year, saying the company would “advocate for safeguards for people’s democratic freedoms in law enforcement surveillance scenarios and will not deploy facial recognition technology in scenarios that we believe will put these freedoms at risk.”

Israel has faced growing criticism and boycott in the West for its occupation and inhumane policies against the Palestinians.

Since his election, US President Trump has taken a series of steps to increase American support for Israel, including recognizing Jerusalem al-Quds as Israel’s capital, as well as recognizing Israeli sovereignty over Syria’s Golan Heights.

PressTV-Democratic candidates say US should end aid to Israel

US Democratic presidential candidates say Washington should withhold military aid to Israel if it continues to annex Jewish settlements in occupied Palestine.

Polls show that Trump’s close relationship with Netanyahu has weakened sympathy for Israel among Democratic and Jewish voters.

Among liberal Democrats, there is now almost an even split between those saying they sympathize with the Israeli side and the Palestinian one, according to a Gallup poll in February.

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