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Microsoft shutting down Palestinian accounts, reveals BBC

July 12, 2024 at 2:48 pm

Microsoft logo [İsmail Kaplan – Anadolu Agency]

Microsoft has been accused of shutting down email accounts belonging to Palestinians using Skype to call Gaza, according to a BBC investigation.

The report found that several Palestinians living abroad had their Microsoft-owned voice and video chat accounts terminated without warning, “destroying their digital lives.”

Salah Elsadi, a Palestinian living in the US, told the BBC: “I’ve had this Hotmail account for 15 years. They banned me for no reason, saying I violated their terms — what terms? Tell me.”

The investigation revealed at least 20 cases where Palestinians had their accounts suspended without any explanation. Those impacted explained that a paid Skype subscription allowed them to make affordable mobile calls to Gaza, providing a vital service for many Palestinians during Internet outages.

In some cases, these email accounts were over 15 years old, leaving users unable to access emails, contacts, or memories. Moreover, some reported that their email accounts were connected to their work.

Eiad Hametto, who has been calling his family from Saudi Arabia, said: “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,” he added.

Another Palestinian, Khalid Obaied, told the BBC that he no longer trusted Microsoft. “I paid for a package to make phone calls, and then, after 10 days, they banned me for no reason,” he said. “It has to be because I’m a Palestinian calling Gaza.”

A Microsoft spokesperson clarified that the company does not block calls or ban users based on the calling region or destination. Adding: “Blocking in Skype can occur in response to suspected fraudulent activity.”

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