Brian Eno writes open letter to Microsoft denouncing Israeli ties

English musician Brian Eno - who composed the start-up chime for Microsoft's Windows 95 operating system - has written an open letter to the company asking for the suspension of “all services that support any operations that contribute to violations of international law.”

"Today, I'm compelled to speak, not as a composer this time, but as a citizen alarmed by the role Microsoft is playing in a very different kind of composition: one that leads to surveillance, violence and destruction in Palestine," read the statement, which was posted to the musician's Instagram on May 20.

The letter, titled 'Not in My Name: An Open Letter to Microsoft from Brian Eno,' came in response to Microsoft confirming it provides Israel's Ministry of Defence with a variety of technology, including access to its Azure AI software and corresponding cloud.

 

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Earlier this year, an Associated Press investigation revealed that the Israeli military uses Azure for mass surveillance projects in Gaza.

"I gladly took on the [Windows 95] project as a creative challenge and enjoyed the interaction with my contacts at the company," Eno wrote. "I never would have believed that the same company could one day be implicated in the machinery of oppression and war."

For over a decade, Eno has been a vocal critic of Israel's military actions in Gaza and the West Bank. He has pledged to donate his fee from working on the Windows 95 chime to "helping the victims of the attacks on Gaza."