Outcry as Microsoft allegedly shuts down Palestinian accounts used to call Gaza

LONDON: Microsoft has been accused of shutting down email accounts associated with Palestinians who used Skype to make phone calls to Gaza.

A BBC investigation found that several Palestinians living abroad had their Microsoft-owned voice and video chat app accounts terminated without warning, effectively “destroying their digital lives.”

“I’ve had this Hotmail account for 15 years,” said Salah Elsadi, a Palestinian living in the US who was interviewed by the BBC.

“They banned me for no reason, saying I violated their terms — what terms? Tell me.”

The investigation uncovered at least 20 cases in which Palestinians had their accounts suspended without any explanation.

Those affected explained that with a paid Skype subscription, it is possible to call mobiles in Gaza cheaply, making it a lifeline for many Palestinians while the Internet is down.

In some instances, these email accounts were more than 15 years old, and users had no way to retrieve emails, contacts or memories. Some reported that their email accounts were linked to their work.

“We are civilians with no political background who just wanted to check on our families,” Eiad Hametto, who has been calling his family from Saudi Arabia, he said.

“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 said.

Some individuals speculated that the cancelation of their accounts might be linked to Microsoft suspecting connections to Hamas.

Microsoft did not respond directly to the accusation that these individuals had been labeled as Hamas, but a spokesperson stated that it did not block calls or ban users based on the calling region or destination.

“Blocking in Skype can occur in response to suspected fraudulent activity,” they said without elaborating, adding that users were advised that they could appeal the decision.