Microsoft Halts Cloud and AI Services for Israeli Defense Unit Over Surveillance Concerns

Tel aviv: Microsoft announced on Thursday that it has disabled a range of cloud computing and artificial intelligence services used by a unit within Israel's Ministry of Defense. This decision followed an internal review that found preliminary evidence supporting media reports about a surveillance system operating in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. According to Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA, Microsoft President Brad Smith stated that the company initiated the review after The Guardian published a report. The report claimed that an Israeli military monitoring agency had relied on Microsoft's Azure cloud platform to store vast amounts of intercepted Palestinian phone calls. A joint investigation cited by The Guardian revealed that Israel extensively used Microsoft's cloud services in its mass surveillance of Palestinians. The company confirmed that it found evidence consistent with elements of the report, including the Defense Ministry's use of Azure storage capacity in the Netherlands and its application of AI services. Smith wrote in a Microsoft blog post that the company does not provide technology for enabling mass surveillance of civilians. He emphasized that the suspension would not impact cybersecurity services the company continues to offer to Israel and other Middle Eastern states. In late August, Microsoft dismissed four employees who participated in protests over the company's ties to Israel during the ongoing war in Gaza, including two who staged a sit-in at the company president's office. The firm stated that the dismissals were due to 'serious policy violations,' asserting that on-site demonstrations had raised 'significant safety concerns.'