Bonum Certa Men Certa

Cablegate: Microsoft and Government of Oman Inseparable

Cablegate



Summary: Cable from Oman shows how Microsoft is steering the government and making the population Microsoft dependent

We recently looked at Oman and onwards, reaching Ukraine in the north and Vietnam in the south. All across the world we find evidence of government-assisted Microsoft deals which at times reveal misconduct. Many of the same tricks are used everywhere, so it is worth learning these. The following Cablegate cable is also one from Oman.







VZCZCXYZ0004
RR RUEHWEB



DE RUEHMS #0580/01 1601237 ZNR UUUUU ZZH R 091237Z JUN 07 FM AMEMBASSY MUSCAT TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8362 INFO RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC

UNCLAS MUSCAT 000580

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARP, EEB/CBA COMMERCE FOR COBERG

E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON, BEXP, ELAB, ENRG, KSEP, AMGT, MU SUBJECT: NOMINATION FOR CORPORATE EXCELLENCE AWARD: MICROSOFT OMAN

REF: STATE 47222

------- Summary -------

1. Embassy Muscat is pleased to nominate Microsoft Oman for the Secretary's 2007 Award for Corporate Excellence. Microsoft Oman's strong commitment to actively supporting government efforts to promote greater computer literacy in the Sultanate makes this company the right choice for the 2007 Corporate Excellence Award. End Summary.

---------------- Nascent Industry ----------------

2. Oman's information communications technology (ICT) sector currently is not well-developed. According to a Booz Allen Hamilton study commissioned by the Department under the Middle East Partnership Initiative, the industry overall employs only 1300 people, with most positions concentrated in a few large corporations. Compared to the population as a whole, the figure represents 0.4 IT employees per 1,000, which lags behind the EU-25 average of 5.5 IT employees per 1,000. Booz Allen Hamilton further estimated that the number of university students graduating from computer science disciplines reached only 386 in 2004.

------------------------------------------ Background: Government Focus on Raising IT ------------------------------------------

3. In an effort to boost public awareness of Oman's need to move increasingly toward a knowledge-based economy, the government launched its "E-Oman" campaign in 2006. Under the slogan "Transforming Oman, Empowering You," Maqbool bin Ali Sultan, Minister of Commerce and Industry, officially unveiled the government's plans regarding Oman's e-government programs, as well as other initiatives designed to promote Oman's transformation to a knowledge-based economy.

4. Under the direction of the recently created Information Technology Authority (ITA), the Omani government embarked on a pilot project electronically linking four ministries through one computer network, a plan that will eventually be expanded to include all ministries. In addition, the government is working on developing an electronic national registry system, smart ID cards for citizens and residents, and a one-stop-shop for business registration.

------------------------- The Microsoft Partnership -------------------------

5. In 2006, Microsoft concluded a three-year, five million USD per year agreement with the Omani government for the use of the company's licensed products on over 22,000 terminals. The contract, which includes a commitment by Microsoft to invest two million USD per year in training programs for government employees and the general public, represents the beginning of a valued relationship between the two entities as they both strive to improve computer literacy in the Sultanate.

6. As part of its plan to foster this relationship, Microsoft has committed to investing in Oman's IT capabilities. According to Microsoft country manager Abdullah al-Lootah, this commitment is essential to efforts to raise technology usage in government operations, which currently is very low. In terms of promoting knowledge transfer opportunities, Microsoft will sponsor six-month visits by government officials to the company's Dubai office to educate them on "best financial practices." Coupling with the government's E-Oman initiative, Microsoft is reaching out to the Omani people by installing computer laboratories in 10 schools for public use during the evening hours.

----------------------- Training for the Future -----------------------

7. Microsoft demonstrated its strong, continued commitment to building Oman's technical capabilities in March 2007, when the company concluded an agreement with the ITA to launch an innovation and support center to be housed at Knowledge Oasis Muscat (KOM), the government-run technology incubator. The agreement calls for a joint investment of six million USD in establishing the center, one million USD of which is to come from Microsoft under its investment partnership accord with the Omani government. The center will host resident Microsoft engineers, who will train between 20 to 40 Omanis on technology solutions to deliver services to government entities under the "E-Oman" initiative. Graduates would then form IT steering committees within their respective ministries.

8. This initiative is one of several Microsoft is pursuing to "bridge the technology skills gap" in Oman. In addition to the innovation center, Microsoft will partner with Knowledge Oasis Muscat and other selected entities in training 300 Omani government professionals per year. The trainees will work with Microsoft engineers to develop and implement solutions to promote efficiency in delivering government services electronically. Salim al-Ruzaiqi, Chief Executive Officer of the ITA, praised Microsoft's efforts in the media, noting, "This new center will create more quality job opportunities for local Omani graduates in the ICT sector."

--------------- Assisting Women ---------------

9. Microsoft also has been active in supporting efforts to raise computer literacy among women through a partnership with MEPI's "Women in Technology (WIT)" program. The company is currently working with the Oman Women's Association in Muscat to train women throughout the Sultanate on IT skills. Under a "train the trainer" initiative, Microsoft donated its "Unlimited Potential" curriculum to the organization to allow participants to pass along skills taught by Microsoft trainers to women residing in the secondary cities of Oman. Microsoft further donated over $50,000 worth of software and 90 refurbished computers to support the continuation of the initiative. GRAPPO







In short, Microsoft is indoctrinating government employees so that they come to depend on Microsoft technologies, at taxpayers' expense. For those who do not know what "Unlimited Potential" is (a euphemism to say the least), see our posts about it [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].

Recent Techrights' Posts

XBox is Rapidly Turned Into a Slopfarm by Microsoft
Slop isn't about efficiency and saving money
Reboots Should Never be Necessary
"BUT WHAT ABOUT SECURITY!!"
Microsoft's Halloween Documents and systemd, Wayland, Etc.
Maybe one day Wayland will be widespread. Or maybe not.
 
Gemini Links 15/07/2025: Smolweb and Alhena 5.1.7
Links for the day
The Danes Want GNU/Linux
David Heinemeier Hansson recently moved to GNU/Linux
Cory Doctorow Explains Why Software Freedom Matters, Whereas "Open Source" Misses the Point and Helps Monopolies
It's a very long article
BillPR (EpsteinGate-Bribed NPR) is Turning Into a Partial Slopfarm that Promotes Slop
"I went on a date with a chatbot!"
Two Weeks Passed Since Latest Large Wave of Microsoft Layoffs, More Expected Next Month
Blaming the debt on "AI" is just self-serving storytelling
There's Still Hope for the World Wide Web
Let's hope that the trajectory of the Web won't be leading us to over-reliance on Google, nor will it reward worthless slopfarms
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, July 14, 2025
IRC logs for Monday, July 14, 2025
Gemini Links 15/07/2025: Gemini "Style Sheets" and Switching From Microsoft GitHub to Codeberg
Links for the day
Coming Soon: Another OSI Scandal, This One Implicating Molly de Blanc
OSI has been fairly quiet lately
Outreachy & Debian pregnancy cluster, Meike Reichle evidence
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Again, "Lunduke is Actually Sending His Audience to Attack People"
Microsoft Lunduke is not trying to "protect" Linux
One of the Most Hilarious Things About the Microsoft SLAPPs
It's so ridiculous
Financial Support for the Free Software Foundation or the GNU Project
The FSF has extended until Friday its fund-raising campaign
Illegally Hiding (or Demanding Secrecy Around) Illegal Requests or Attempts at Extortion
unlawful communications like threats
Gemini Links 14/07/2025: BOFH Archive, Updating Old Palm PDAS, and Nginx vs Slop Bots
Links for the day
Ubuntu is Becoming GAFAM-Like
What does that say about Canonical and Ubuntu?
Slopfarms Which Take Real Articles About GNU/Linux and Turn Them Into Copycats Which Are False
Even before the LLM hype those were quite common
The Firm That Picks on Techrights is Accustomed to Working With Criminals
Techrights never did anything illegal. So why is it being picked on by people who work with criminals?
Microsoft Said the Mass Layoffs Were for "Investment" in "AI", But It's Also Laying Off the "AI" and "Copilot" Staff
Months ago we showed many so-called "AI" people were getting the boot and this time it's the same
DryDeadFish is Dead, Long Live DryDeadFish
We kept checking, hoping it can recover from some temporary technical issue
For Quite Some Time Already Microsoft Attracts Crackpots, Scams, and More
Occasionally we talk about the situation at IBM as there are many parallels
Links 14/07/2025: Chatbots Broken Again, McHire LLM Shows Limits of the Hype
Links for the day
Changing One's Name Won't Change One's Past
People who have earned a bad reputation are not magically "entitled" to reset
People Who Assault Women Are Not Victims of "Distress"
It seems like an American tradition. In a country with almost 50 presidents, not even one was a female.
Slashdot Media Turned Linux Journal Into a Slopfarm and Now Slashdot Actively Promotes Anti-Linux Slopfarms
Yes, "no-nonsense" apparently means actual nonsense
Adoption of Gemini Protocol Still Growing
Gemini Protocol is being obscured by the media - it doesn't help that Google 'hijacked' the word "Gemini" - but people still manage to find out about it, download a client, and use it
Links 14/07/2025: Arresting Photographers, Threats to Revoke US Citizenship Over Criticism
Links for the day
More EPO Leaks on the Way
We hope that Mr. Rowan will actually try to refute what we say and show, not merely point the finger at the messengers
Decommodification is a Corporate Strategy Against Communities
systemd is led by Microsoft and hosted by Microsoft
copyleft.org 'Hijacked' by the People Who Attack the Person Who Created Copyleft
So far there's nothing "tasteless" in copyleft.org, but that can change at any time in the future
Asking People to Take Down Articles and Videos Only Makes These More Popular and "Viral"
If you do something bad, one of the worst things you can possibly do it try to silence those who speak about it
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, July 13, 2025
IRC logs for Sunday, July 13, 2025
Two-Thirds Towards FSF Goal, Richard Stallman to Give Talks in Europe
There are 67 left before reaching the target
Brett Wilson LLP "Takes it Personal" (Character Assassination, Not Professionalism). Everybody Can See That.
On behalf of violent men
Gemini Links 14/07/2025: Politicised Tech and "Leaving GitHub"
Links for the day
Pissing Contests and Pissing Off Everyone
people who came from Microsoft are trying to vex and divide the community
Microsoft Repeats the Mistakes Made by the EPO After We Exposed a Major Microsoft/EPO Scandal 10 Years Ago
That scandal was all over the media, not just in English
The Demise of LLMs
We've just checked BetaNews again. They've dropped all the slop and went back to human authors.
Gemini Links 13/07/2025: Sonpo Museum of Art and FCEUX
Links for the day
Links 13/07/2025: UnitedHealth's Censorship Campaign, Australia Wary of China
Links for the day
Firing Away With Nonsense
Or fighting fire with fire
Links 13/07/2025: Climate Crisis, GAFAM Poisoning the Water
Links for the day
Turns Out LLMs for Code Don't Save Time and Don't Improve Quality
Neither legal nor useful
The Microsofters Will Have an Obligation to Compensate Us
This story isn't just about Microsoft. It's also about corruption, there are many women victims, there is abject "abuse of process", and many more scandals to be illuminated in years to come.
Reproducing at the EPO Instead of Producing Monopolies for Foreign Monopolies With Their Price-Fixing Cartels
Does the EPO recognise the need of well-educated Europeans to bear kids?
Valnet Inc. Dominates Real (Not LLM Slop) GNU/Linux Coverage in 2025
And likely in prior years, too
Free Software Foundation (FSF) Fund Raiser Goes on
Later this month we'll expose another OSI scandal
EPO Staff Representatives Issue a Warning About Staff's Health and Inadequate Care
Even the EPO's own stakeholders (money sources) are openly protesting against what the EPO became
Links 13/07/2025: Partly Assorted News From Deutsche Welle and CBC
Links for the day
Gemini Links 13/07/2025: Board Games and Battle Styles
Gemini Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, July 12, 2025
IRC logs for Saturday, July 12, 2025