Microsoft has launched a formal and ‘urgent’ external investigation into claims of its Azure cloud services been used by Israel’s military intelligence for the mass surveillance of Palestinians. The probe follows a joint investigation by The Guardian, +972 Magazine, and Local Call, which alleged that the Israeli military’s secretive Unit 8200 has been relying on Microsoft’s cloud platform to store vast archives of intercepted Palestinian phone calls.
According to the reports, the surveillance system, which has been operational since 2022, can collect and retain millions of daily phone calls from Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. Leaked documents and interviews with sources from both Microsoft and Israeli intelligence revealed that this massive archive of communications was stored on Azure servers located in Europe.
Investigation into the Azure case
Sources from within Unit 8200 have claimed that the cloud-based system helped guide deadly airstrikes and shaped military operations. The collected information was also used for other purposes, including blackmail and arbitrary detention.
The allegations have put a spotlight on Microsoft’s compliance with its own policies, as the company’s terms of service prohibit using its cloud services for broad, mass surveillance of civilians. The new inquiry will be led by the law firm Covington & Burling LLP and will expand on an earlier internal review that, according to a Microsoft statement, had found “no evidence to date” that its technologies were used to “target or harm people” in the conflict.
However, the recent, more recent claims have prompted a re-evaluation by the company’s leadership.
The company is facing mounting pressure from activist groups, including a worker-led campaign called “No Azure for Apartheid,” which is urging Microsoft to sever its ties with the Israeli military. These groups have accused the tech giant of complicity in human rights violations. In response, a Microsoft spokesperson stated that the company was not aware of the specific data being stored by Unit 8200 and that its work with the Israeli military was focused on strengthening cybersecurity.
Microsoft, Israel military deny allegations
The Israeli military has maintained that its collaboration with technology firms like Microsoft is based on legally supervised agreements and that its operations are conducted in accordance with international law. The findings of the investigation, which Microsoft has pledged to make public, could have significant implications for its relationships with government clients globally.
