Microsoft Halts Cloud Services to Israeli Military Unit Over Surveillance Concerns

Microsoft cuts cloud services to Israeli military unit over Palestinian surveillance

Microsoft has cut off the Israel Ministry of Defense's access to some of its tech and services after an internal investigation found the organization appeared to be using its tech to store surveillance data on phone calls made by Palestinians. The tech giant announced on Thursday that it made the decision to "cease and disable" certain subscriptions from the Israeli military. This affects subscriptions to Azure cloud storage and certain AI services. "We do not provide technology to facilitate mass surveillance of civilians, Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith wrote in a blog post. "We have applied this principle in every country around the world, and we have insisted on it repeatedly for more than two decades. This is why we explained publicly on August 15 that Microsoft's standard terms of service prohibit the use of our technology for mass surveillance of civilians." Microsoft informed Israel of its decision last week, according to The Guardian. The decision follows Microsoft's ongoing review of the matter, which started in August. The investigation was sparked by a story in The Guardian that reported that Unit 8200, the elite Israel military intelligence unit, was using Azure cloud storage to house data on phone calls obtained through the surveillance of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. In his blog post, Smith also said the company appreciated The Guardian's initial reporting. Smith wrote that without it, they wouldn't have known to look into the matter, as due to customer privacy rights, they can't access a customer's content. "As employees, we all have a shared interest in privacy protection, given the business value it creates by ensuring our customers can rely on our services with rock solid trust," Smith wrote. The company said the review is ongoing but declined to comment to TechCrunch regarding what was still under review. Microsoft has been under fire from both employees and outsiders for its involvement with Israel over the past year. Protests regarding Microsoft's relationship with Israel broke out at the company's 50 anniversary celebration in April. In August, several employees staged a sit-in at Smith's office, forcing a lockdown. The company has fired multiple employees in recent months for their activism related to Microsoft's contracts with Israel.

Microsoft cuts off Azure surveillance support for Israel

Brad Smith says 'we do not provide technology to facilitate mass surveillance of civilians' The president of Microsoft has said it's cutting parts of the Israeli military off from Azure after reports that the army was using the platform in a mass surveillance operation against Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. Brad Smith issued a statement following reports in British newspaper The Guardian that Israel's Unit 8200 cyber unit was using Redmond's cloud network to harvest a "million phone calls an hour." The reports claim that Unit 8200 harvested phone details, sorted them using AI technology, and stored them on European servers, and then used the data for targeting military operations. Smith thanked the paper for reporting on the database, which has reportedly been in operation since 2022, and said that Microsoft is cutting off the Israeli Ministry of Defence (IMOD) from some of its services. That said, the surveillance system is now reportedly operating using Amazon's services instead. "We have informed IMOD of Microsoft's decision to cease and disable specified IMOD subscriptions and their services, including their use of specific cloud storage and AI services and technologies," Smith said in a public blog post. "We have reviewed this decision with IMOD and the steps we are taking to ensure compliance with our terms of service, focused on ensuring our services are not used for mass surveillance of civilians." Redmond has declined to comment further on the matter. The IMOD has not commented, nor has Amazon. The surveillance scheme, according to leaked documents reported by the Guardian, built up a continuously updated record of calls from the occupied territories that were stored on Azure servers in the Netherlands. These could be mined for information to target individuals in the region. More than 1,000 Microsoft staff signed a "No Azure for Apartheid" petition protesting the use of Redmond's technology in the ongoing conflict. Last month Microsoft reportedly fired four staffers for launching public protests against the use of the software slinger's involvement in the affair. Investors are also reportedly unhappy with Redmond's involvement in aiding the Israeli military. Unit 8200 is the Israeli equivalent of the US National Security Agency and had reportedly built up a huge collection of phone calls from the troubled region that amounted to 8,000 TB of data which could be searched and used for intelligence purposes. It apparently set up the database in a specially partitioned section of Azure for processing. Smith didn't say exactly what services it was discontinuing for IMOD, but said that Microsoft had reviewed the contract and found that it - at least - was in the clear in terms of breaking rules on surveillance using its products. "At no point has Microsoft accessed IMOD's customer content," he stated. "Rather, the review has focused on Microsoft's own business records, including financial statements, internal documents, and email and messaging communications, among other records." He thanked journalists for bringing the matter to Microsoft's attention and said that the cloud provider has stuck to its principles. "We do not provide technology to facilitate mass surveillance of civilians. We have applied this principle in every country around the world, and we have insisted on it repeatedly for more than two decades," he asserted. Microsoft isn't the only US tech firm to face ire for its involvement in the ongoing war in Palestine. In April Google fired 28 staffers for staging a sit-in protest at its offices in New York and California over the Chocolate Factory's support for the Israeli military with Project Nimbus - a joint scheme with AWS that was apparently being used to help in the war effort. ®

Microsoft cuts off some services to the Israeli military

Microsoft has stopped providing some services to the Israeli military, following an investigation into the use of the company's products to surveil Palestinian civilians. The US software giant said on Thursday it had found evidence that "supported elements" of a media investigation which claimed Israel's defence ministry had stored mass surveillance data on its servers. Brad Smith, Microsoft's vice chair and president, said in a statement that the company had informed Israel of its decision to "cease and disable" some subscriptions, including the use of "specific cloud storage and AI services and technologies". "We have reviewed this decision with [Israel's ministry of defence] and the steps we are taking to ensure compliance with our terms of service," Smith added. The Redmond, Washington-based company's decision to suspend some services comes as humanitarian conditions in Gaza have worsened under Israel's assault. The media reports by The Guardian and other publications, said Israel's Unit 8200, which is responsible for signals intelligence, had used Microsoft's Azure cloud service to store data from phone calls obtained through "broad or mass surveillance" in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. Microsoft and other global businesses have faced a wave of public pressure and criticism from staff over dealings with Israel. A group of current and former Microsoft employees called No Azure for Apartheid have disrupted multiple company events in protest at the company's actions. Microsoft in late August fired four employees involved in the movement who had set up encampments on the company's premises. Two of the individuals fired were involved in a sit-in at Smith's office. Smith told employees in a recent town hall that the decision to suspend some services for the Israeli defence ministry "does not impact" the company's work to "protect the cyber security of Israel and other countries in the Middle East", according to his blog post. Israel's army radio has reported that Unit 8200 had backed up surveillance material in recent weeks, in an effort to keep its access to the data. The Israeli defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Microsoft disables services to Israel defense unit after review

Sept 25 (Reuters) - Microsoft (MSFT.O), opens new tab on Thursday said it disabled a set of cloud and AI services used by a unit within the Israel Ministry of Defense (IMOD) after an internal review found preliminary evidence supporting media reports of a surveillance system in Gaza and West Bank. Brad Smith, Microsoft's president, said the company opened the review after an August article by the Guardian alleged activity by a unit of the Israel Defense Forces. The Guardian reported that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) was using Microsoft's Azure for collecting and storing data on phone calls made by civilians in Gaza and the West Bank. While the review is ongoing, Microsoft said it found evidence supporting elements of the Guardian's reporting, including details on IMOD's consumption of Azure storage capacity in the Netherlands and the use of AI services. "We do not provide technology to facilitate mass surveillance of civilians," Smith said in a Microsoft blog. Microsoft has informed the Israeli defense ministry of its "decision to cease and disable specified IMOD subscriptions and their services, including their use of specific cloud storage and AI services and technologies." The action does not impact Microsoft's cybersecurity services to Israel and other countries in the Middle East, Smith said. In late August, Microsoft fired four employees who took part in protests on company premises over the company's ties to Israel as the war in Gaza continues, including two who joined a sit-in at the office of the company's president. The company said the terminations followed serious breaches of company policies and the on-site demonstrations had "created significant safety concerns." Reporting by Juby Babu in Mexico City; Editing by Tasim Zahid Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab

Microsoft reduces Israel's access to cloud and AI products over reports of mass surveillance in Gaza

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Microsoft said Thursday it had disabled services to a unit within the Israeli military after a company review had determined its artificial intelligence and cloud computing products were being used to help carry out mass surveillance of Palestinians. The action comes after The Associated Press and The Guardian published reports earlier this year revealing how the Israeli Ministry of Defense had been using Microsoft's Azure platform to aid in the war in Gaza and occupation of the West Bank. Brad Smith, Microsoft's vice chair and president, wrote in a blog post that the company was taking steps to enforce compliance with its terms of service. An AP investigation in February showed that the Israeli military's use of Microsoft products skyrocketed after a deadly surprise attack by Hamas militants on Oct. 7, 2023. The AP's report cited internal Microsoft data showing the Israelis were using gigabytes of cloud storage and massive amounts of AI-enabled language translation services. The AP also reported that Israel's military used Microsoft Azure to compile information gathered through mass surveillance, which it transcribes and translates, including phone calls and text messages. That intelligence is then cross-checked with Israel's in-house AI systems for targeting airstrikes. AP reported that internal Microsoft data showed multiple Azure subscriptions were tied to Unit 8200, an elite cyber warfare unit within the Israeli Army responsible for clandestine operations, collecting signal intelligence and surveillance. Following AP's report, Microsoft acknowledged in May that it had sold advanced AI and cloud computing services to the Israeli military during the Gaza war and aided in efforts to locate and rescue Israeli hostages. But the company said an internal review found "no evidence" its Azure platform was used to target or harm people. The Guardian, working in partnership with the Israeli-Palestinian publication +972 Magazine and the Hebrew-language outlet Local Call, reported in August that the commander of Unit 8200 had met directly with Microsoft chairman and CEO Satya Nadella in 2021. The Israeli unit then used Microsoft products to aid in the development of an AI-powered mass surveillance system that was sweeping up, translating and analyzing millions of telephone calls per day made by Palestinian civilians. The report also revealed that data from the Israeli surveillance system was being stored at Microsoft cloud data centers in Europe. Following The Guardian's report, Microsoft commissioned a second review, this time by an outside law firm. While that review is still ongoing, Smith said Thursday the probe had uncovered evidence that its products were being used in violation of its terms of service. However, Smith did not name the specific Israeli unit losing access to Microsoft services. Microsoft declined to answer detailed questions from AP on Thursday, including whether Unit 8200 was involved. The company would also not answer how it would ensure the Israeli military wouldn't simply shift its mass surveillance operations to any of the hundreds of other Azure subscriptions under its control. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Hossam Nasr, one of more than a dozen Microsoft employees fired or arrested after protests over the company's involvement in the war in Gaza, called Thursday's announcement a "significant and unprecedented win." But, he said, it was not enough. "Microsoft has only disabled a small subset of services to only one unit in the Israeli military," said Nasr, an organizer with the group No Azure for Apartheid. "The vast majority of Microsoft's contract with the Israeli military remains intact." ___ Mednick reported from Jerusalem and Burke from San Francisco. The Associated Press receives financial assistance from the Omidyar Network to support coverage of artificial intelligence and its impact on society. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

Microsoft cuts off cloud services to Israeli military unit after report of storing Palestinians' phone calls

Microsoft said Thursday that it has stopped providing certain services to a division of the Israeli Ministry of Defense. The company did not say which specific services it had stopped providing. The decision comes after the software company investigated an August report from The Guardian saying the Israeli Defense Forces' Unit 8200 had built a system for tracking Palestinians' phone calls. "While our review is ongoing, we have found evidence that supports elements of The Guardian's reporting," Brad Smith, Microsoft's president and vice chair, wrote in an email to employees. "This evidence includes information relating to IMOD consumption of Azure storage capacity in the Netherlands and the use of AI services." Microsoft's decision to stop providing those services follows pressure from employees who have protested Israel's use of the company's company's software as part of its invasion of Gaza. Over the last few weeks, Microsoft has fired five employees who participated in protests at company headquarters in Redmond, Washington. The move comes a week after a United Nations commission said that Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians with its invasion of Gaza. Microsoft told Israeli defense officials that it had decided to disable cloud-based storage an artificial intelligence subscriptions the agency was using, Smith wrote. He said Microsoft does not look at customer data for the type of review it conducted, and he thanked the British newspaper for its reporting on the development. "As employees, we all have a shared interest in privacy protection, given the business value it creates by ensuring our customers can rely on our services with rock solid trust," Smith wrote. On Thursday The Guardian reported that unnamed intelligence sources had said Unit 8200 was planning to migrate its supply of the phone calls to Amazon Web Services, the market-leading public cloud. AWS did not immediately comment.

Microsoft cuts off some services used by Israeli military unit

He emphasised that the review was ongoing: "I'll share more information in the coming days and weeks, when it's appropriate to do so." Last month's investigation by the Guardian, which collaborated with Israeli-Palestinian publication +972 Magazine and Hebrew-language outlet Local Call, found that a unit of the Israeli defence ministry used the expansive storage capacity of Microsoft's cloud service, Azure, to create a giant trove of calls made by ordinary Palestinians that it had intercepted. The ability to collect, play back and analyse communications with such breadth helped to shape military operations in Gaza and the West Bank, according to their investigation. Microsoft, which has responded to protests from staff over its work for Israel by firing some employees, said it launched its own review in response to the article. The company said it did not access the content of its customers as part of that review but found other evidence to support elements of the article, including consumption of storage capacity in the Netherlands and use of AI services. It subsequently informed the Israeli Ministry of Defence that it would "cease and disable" certain "subscriptions and their services, including their use of specific cloud storage and AI services and technologies", according to Mr Smith. "We have reviewed this decision with IMOD and the steps we are taking to ensure compliance with our terms of service, focused on ensuring our services are not used for mass surveillance of civilians," Mr Smith wrote, saying the firm's review had been guided by its commitment to privacy. The Guardian reported that the unit in question planned to transfer its data to a cloud platform sold by Amazon. Amazon did not respond to a request for comment.

Microsoft Cuts Off Access to Tech That Israel Used to Surveil Palestinians

Israel collected millions of civilian phone calls made by Palestinians. Microsoft announced Thursday that it is cutting off access to some of its services provided to a unit of Israel's Ministry of Defense after learning that its technology was used to conduct a mass surveillance campaign against Palestinian citizens. The agency within the Israel Defense Forces is known as Unit 8200, a spying unit that is known for its role in collecting signal intelligence and conducting cyberwarfare. Through reporting from The Guardian earlier this year, it was revealed that the unit was collecting and storing recordings of cellular calls made by Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. The report indicated that the agency was collecting millions of calls every day and storing and processing them through Microsoft's Azure cloud platform. The Guardian reported that as much as 8,000 terabytes of data collected by Unit 8200 was stored within Microsoft's data center in the Netherlands. Microsoft, in a blog post from company president Brad Smith, publicly confirmed some of the reporting. "While our review is ongoing, we have found evidence that supports elements of The Guardian’s reporting. This evidence includes information relating to IMOD consumption of Azure storage capacity in the Netherlands and the use of AI services," Smith wrote. As a result, the company "cease and disable" certain services provided to Unit 8200, "including their use of specific cloud storage and AI services and technologies." Notably, he seemed to stop short of acknowledging the mass surveillance campaign directly, explaining that "we do not access our customers’ content in this type of investigation," and stating that "We have reviewed this decision with IMOD and the steps we are taking to ensure compliance with our terms of service, focused on ensuring our services are not used for mass surveillance of civilians." While Smith may not have directly identified the surveillance program, the move to disable access to its services marks a stark contrast from where the company stood just a few months ago. In May, Microsoft declared there was "no evidence" that its technologies were used to target or harm Palestinians. It's unlikely that Unit 8200 only launched its mass surveillance net after that investigation. According to reporting from The Guardian, Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella met with the head of Unit 8200 in late 2021 to discuss hosting intelligence material on Microsoft's cloud platform. Microsoft's decision both to review and cancel (at least for the time being) its contracts with Unit 8200 comes in the wake of an ongoing pressure campaign from the company's own employees to end financial arrangements with the Israeli government, which is in the middle of committing what the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry (COI) recently declared a genocide. The organization No Azure for Apartheid has organized a number of actions directed at Microsoft, including disrupting Nadella's presentation during Microsoft’s Build Conference and demonstrating during one of the company's 50th anniversary events. Last month, the group organized a sit-in that occupied Smith's office, resulting in multiple employees who participated in the demonstration being fired. "Today's news is a significant and unprecedented win for the campaign and our organizing. Within less than a month of our sit-in in Brad Smith's office, Microsoft has taken the significant decision to become the first US tech company to stop the sale of some technologies to the Israeli military since the start of the genocide in Gaza," Hossam Nasr, an organizer with No Azure for Apartheid and a former Microsoft worker, told Gizmodo. "This crack in the wall of Microsoft's steadfast support of Israel's genocide, war crimes, and ethnic cleansing in Palestine has only been possible because of our sustained pressure and organizing for the past two years." Nasr made a point to call out that Microsoft has only disabled "a small subset of services to only one unit in the Israeli military," and that "the vast majority of Microsoft's contract with the Israeli military remains intact." Smith, in his statement, suggests the same. "Microsoft continues to do to protect the cybersecurity of Israel and other countries in the Middle East, including under the Abraham Accords," he wrote. "While Palestinians continue to be bombed, killed, ethnically cleansed, and forcibly starved by the Israeli military, it is unconscionable and morally indefensible for Microsoft to continue providing any technology whatsoever to that military. The decision today only motivates us more to continue our organizing until all of our demands are met, and until Palestine is free," Nasr said.

Microsoft blocks Israel's use of its technology in mass surveillance of Palestinians

Exclusive: Tech firm ends military unit's access to AI and data services after Guardian reveals secret spy project Microsoft has terminated the Israeli military's access to technology it used to operate a powerful surveillance system that collected millions of Palestinian civilian phone calls made each day in Gaza and the West Bank, the Guardian can reveal. Microsoft told Israeli officials late last week that Unit 8200, the military's elite spy agency, had violated the company's terms of service by storing the vast trove of surveillance data in its Azure cloud platform, sources familiar with the situation said. The decision to cut off Unit 8200's ability to use some of its technology results directly from an investigation published by the Guardian last month. It revealed how Azure was being used to store and process the trove of Palestinian communications in a mass surveillance programme. In a joint investigation with the Israeli-Palestinian publication +972 Magazine and the Hebrew-language outlet Local Call, the Guardian revealed how Microsoft and Unit 8200 had worked together on a plan to move large volumes of sensitive intelligence material into Azure. The project began after a meeting in 2021 between Microsoft's chief executive, Satya Nadella, and the unit's then commander, Yossi Sariel. In response to the investigation, Microsoft ordered an urgent external inquiry to review its relationship with Unit 8200. Its initial findings have now led the company to cancel the unit's access to some of its cloud storage and AI services. Equipped with Azure's near-limitless storage capacity and computing power, Unit 8200 had built an indiscriminate new system allowing its intelligence officers to collect, play back and analyse the content of cellular calls of an entire population. The project was so expansive that, according to sources from Unit 8200 - which is equivalent in its remit to the US National Security Agency - a mantra emerged internally that captured its scale and ambition: "A million calls an hour." According to several sources, the enormous repository of intercepted calls - which amounted to as much as 8,000 terabytes of data - was held in a Microsoft datacentre in the Netherlands. Within days of the Guardian publishing the investigation, Unit 8200 appears to have swiftly moved the surveillance data out of the country. According to sources familiar with the huge data transfer outside of the EU country, it occurred in early August. Intelligence sources said Unit 8200 planned to transfer the data to the Amazon Web Services cloud platform. Neither the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) nor Amazon responded to a request for comment. The extraordinary decision by Microsoft to end the spy agency's access to key technology was made amid pressure from employees and investors over its work for Israel's military and the role its technology has played in the almost two-year offensive in Gaza. A United Nations commission of inquiry recently concluded that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza, a charge denied by Israel but supported by many experts in international law. The Guardian's joint investigation prompted protests at Microsoft's US headquarters and one of its European datacentres, as well as demands by a worker-led campaign group, No Azure for Apartheid, to end all ties to the Israeli military. On Thursday, Microsoft's vice-chair and president, Brad Smith, informed staff of the decision. In an email seen by the Guardian, he said the company had "ceased and disabled a set of services to a unit within the Israel ministry of defense", including cloud storage and AI services. Smith wrote: "We do not provide technology to facilitate mass surveillance of civilians. We have applied this principle in every country around the world, and we have insisted on it repeatedly for more than two decades." The decision brings to an abrupt end a three-year period in which the spy agency operated its surveillance programme using Microsoft's technology. Unit 8200 used its own expansive surveillance capabilities to intercept and collect the calls. The spy agency then used a customised and segregated area within the Azure platform, allowing for the data to be retained for extended periods of time and analysed using AI-driven techniques. Although the initial focus of the surveillance system was the West Bank, where an estimated 3 million Palestinians live under Israeli military occupation, intelligence sources said the cloud-based storage platform had been used in the Gaza offensive to facilitate the preparation of deadly airstrikes. The revelations highlighted how Israel has relied on the services and infrastructure of major US technology companies to support its bombardment of Gaza, which has killed more than 65,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, and created a profound humanitarian and starvation crisis. According to a document seen by the Guardian, a senior Microsoft executive told Israel's ministry of defence late last week: "While our review is ongoing, we have at this juncture identified evidence that supports elements of the Guardian's reporting." The executive told Israel officials that Microsoft "is not in the business of facilitating the mass surveillance of civilians" and notified them that it would "disable" access to services that supported the Unit 8200 surveillance project and suspend its use of some AI products. The termination is the first known case of a US technology company withdrawing services provided to the Israeli military since the beginning of its war on Gaza. The decision has not affected Microsoft's wider commercial relationship with the IDF, which is a longstanding client and will retain access to other services. The termination will raise questions within Israel about the policy of holding sensitive military data in a third-party cloud hosted overseas. Last month's revelations about Unit 8200's use of Microsoft technology followed an earlier investigation by the Guardian and its partners into the broader relationship between the company and the Israeli military. That story, published in January and based on leaked files, showed how the IDF's reliance on Azure and its AI systems surged in the most intensive phase of its Gaza campaign. After that report, Microsoft launched its first review of how the IDF uses its services. It said in May it had "found no evidence to date" the military had failed to comply with its terms of service, or used Azure and its AI technology "to target or harm people" in Gaza. However, the Guardian investigation with +972 and Local Call published in August, which revealed the cloud-based surveillance project had been used to research and identify bombing targets in Gaza, led the company to reassess its conclusions. The disclosures caused alarm among senior Microsoft executives, sparking concerns that some of its Israel-based employees may not have been fully transparent about their knowledge of how Unit 8200 used Azure when questioned as part of the review. The company said its executives, including Nadella, were not aware Unit 8200 planned to use, or ultimately used, Azure to store the content of intercepted Palestinian calls. Microsoft then launched its second and more targeted review, which was overseen by lawyers at the US firm Covington & Burling. In his note to staff, Smith said the inquiry had not accessed any customer data but its findings were based on a review of internal Microsoft documents, emails and messages between staff. "I want to note our appreciation for the reporting of the Guardian," Smith wrote, noting that it had brought to light "information we could not access in light of our customer privacy commitments". He added: "Our review is ongoing."

Microsoft cuts off Israeli military tech access that prompted Xbox boycott

50 years ago, Robert Redford made a definitive spy thriller that's never been surpassed Microsoft has reportedly cut off Israeli military access to its Azure cloud and AI technology that was being used to monitor millions of Palestinian civilians' phone calls, according to a new report from The Guardian. Israel's use of Microsoft's software was at the heart of calls to boycott the Redmond-based tech company, a movement that called on consumers to cancel Xbox Game Pass and refrain from buying or playing the company's games and gaming consoles. Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS), the pro-Palestinian human rights movement focused on pressuring Israel to comply with international law by promoting boycotts, divestment, and sanctions against the country and its economic partners, added Microsoft to its list of targets in April. "Microsoft partners with the apartheid regime of Israel and its prison system," the Palestinian BDS National Committee said at the time. "It provides the Israeli military with Azure cloud and AI services that are central to accelerating Israel's genocide of 2.3 million Palestinians in the illegally occupied Gaza Strip. After 34 years of deep complicity with Israel's military, the Israeli army relies heavily on Microsoft to meet technological requirements of its genocide and apartheid regime." According to The Guardian's sources, Microsoft told Israeli officials last week that the military's elite spy agency, Unit 8200, had violated its terms of service "by storing the vast trove of surveillance data in its Azure cloud platform." Microsoft president Brad Smith reportedly told employees of the decision via email, writing that the company had "ceased and disabled a set of services to a unit within the Israel Ministry of Defense." "We do not provide technology to facilitate mass surveillance of civilians," Smith said. Exactly how far Microsoft's restrictions on the Israeli military extend and whether this action will satisfy BDS movement organizers is unclear. The Guardian reports that the Xbox-maker's decision to pull access to its tech from Unit 8200 "has not affected Microsoft's wider commercial relationship" with the Israel Defense Forces. Polygon has reached out to the BDS organization for comment and will update this story when it responds.

Microsoft blocks Israel's use of some services after review over mass surveillance of Palestinians

Haley Ott is the CBS News Digital international reporter, based in the CBS News London bureau. Microsoft says it has stopped providing some of its cloud and AI services to Israel's Ministry of Defense following a report in Britain's Guardian newspaper, which alleged Israel used the services to conduct mass surveillance of Palestinians in Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The Guardian report, published in August in conjunction with Israeli outlets +972 Magazine and Local Call, claimed Israel's military surveillance agency -- called Unit 8200 -- used Microsoft's Azure cloud platform to store recordings of millions of cellphone calls made by Palestinians. These calls could be played back by intelligence officers, and The Guardian cited three sources within Unit 8200 who said the database was used to help shape military operations in Gaza and the West Bank, and to prepare deadly airstrikes by helping with research and to identify bombing targets in Gaza. One source told The Guardian that during the planning of an airstrike on an individual in a densely populated area of Gaza, officers would use the system to examine calls made by other people in the immediate vicinity. Other sources told The Guardian that use of the data was initially focused on the West Bank, which Israel's military controls. "When they need to arrest someone and there isn't a good enough reason to do so, that's where they find the excuse," one source told the British newspaper. The Guardian reported that leaked Microsoft files suggested a large proportion of the sensitive data was potentially being stored in Microsoft data centers in Ireland and the Netherlands. After the publication of its report, several sources told the newspaper that the repository of intercepted calls -- as much as 8,000 terabytes of data -- had been held in a Microsoft data center in the Netherlands, but within days of its report being published in early August, the data appeared to have been moved out of the country. "We have found evidence that supports elements of The Guardian's reporting. This evidence includes information relating to IMOD consumption of Azure storage capacity in the Netherlands and the use of AI services," Microsoft said in a statement Thursday, without elaborating on what the evidence showed. Microsoft said it had informed the Israeli Ministry of Defense that it would be halting and disabling its use of some specific subscriptions and services. "We have reviewed this decision with IMOD and the steps we are taking to ensure compliance with our terms of service, focused on ensuring our services are not used for mass surveillance of civilians," Microsoft said. Intelligence sources told The Guardian that Unit 8200 planned to transfer the data from Microsoft's servers to the Amazon Web Services cloud platform. Neither the Israel Defense Forces nor Amazon replied to The Guardian's request for comment. CBS News asked both the IDF and Amazon for comment on the report of a possible transfer of the data to Amazon's servers but did not receive a reply by time of publication. Microsoft said its current review is still ongoing. It follows an initial review by the American tech giant, triggered by an earlier Guardian report about how the IDF's use of Microsoft's Azure and AI services surged during its Gaza offensive, in which the company said it had found "no evidence that Microsoft's Azure and AI technologies, or any of our other software, have been used to harm people or that IMOD has failed to comply with our terms of service or our AI Code of Conduct."

Microsoft blocks Israeli military from some services after investigation finds 'evidence that supports' allegations of mass surveillance in Gaza

A report by The Guardian in August alleged close ties between Microsoft and Israeli military intelligence. Microsoft president Brad Smith says the company has "ceased and disabled" access to some of the services being used by the Israeli military following a review of allegations made by a Guardian investigative report in August. "We have reviewed The Guardian's allegations based on two principles, both grounded in Microsoft's longstanding protection of privacy as a fundamental right," Smith said in a statement released today. "First, we do not provide technology to facilitate mass surveillance of civilians. We have applied this principle in every country around the world, and we have insisted on it repeatedly for more than two decades. This is why we explained publicly on August 15 that Microsoft's standard terms of service prohibit the use of our technology for mass surveillance of civilians. "Second, we respect and protect the privacy rights of our customers. This means, among other things, that we do not access our customers' content in this type of investigation." Despite earlier reviews that found nothing untoward in Microsoft's dealings with the Israeli military, Smith said this investigation has "found evidence that supports elements of The Guardian's reporting," relating to IMOD [Israel Ministry of Defense] use of Azure storage and Microsoft AI services. "We therefore have informed IMOD of Microsoft's decision to cease and disable specified IMOD subscriptions and their services, including their use of specific cloud storage and AI services and technologies," Smith wrote. "We have reviewed this decision with IMOD and the steps we are taking to ensure compliance with our terms of service, focused on ensuring our services are not used for mass surveillance of civilians." Pushback against Microsoft's work with the Israeli military has stiffened notably over the past year, from individual employee protests to shareholder discontent and campus occupations, as Israel's ongoing genocide in Gaza, as it has been described by a recent UN inquiry and numerous other experts and global bodies, has left tens of thousands dead and shows no sign of stopping. The BDS movement has also called for a boycott of Microsoft products including Xbox, Game Pass, and Microsoft-published games. In May, Microsoft issued a statement essentially clearing itself of wrongdoing, saying internal and external reviews "found no evidence that Microsoft's Azure and AI technologies, or any of our other software, have been used to harm people or that IMOD has failed to comply with our terms of service or our AI Code of Conduct." In August, however, The Guardian published a report alleging that Microsoft services were being used to store a vast amount of surveillance data, including millions of text messages and phone calls intercepted in Gaza and the West Bank, which had been used to blackmail and jail Palestinians in the West Bank, and aid in the selection of bombing targets in Gaza. The report also claimed that Microsoft engineers worked closely with Unit 8200, an Israeli military surveillance agency, to build the infrastructure being used by IMOD. Smith expressed appreciation for that Guardian's report, which he said was "based in part on sources outside Microsoft that had information we could not access in light of our customer privacy commitments." Microsoft's pullback from the Israeli military comes as the world at large is finally beginning to show signs of turning against Israel's slaughter in Gaza. Western nations including the UK, Australia, Canada, and France formally recognized the state of Palestine this month, and both Spain and Italy have dispatched warships to protect a Gaza aid flotilla that was targeted by a drone attack. Smith said Microsoft's review is ongoing, and he will share more information "when it's appropriate to do so." "Microsoft will continue to be a company guided by principles and ethics," Smith wrote. "We will hold every decision, statement, and action to this standard. This is non-negotiable." Hopefully The Guardian will continue with its journalism as well.

Microsoft blocks Israeli military's access to some cloud services to prevent mass surveillance - SiliconANGLE

Microsoft blocks Israeli military's access to some cloud services to prevent mass surveillance Microsoft Corp. said today it has stopped a unit in Israel's Defense Ministry from accessing some of its cloud services following an investigation into claims that it was using the company's Azure cloud platform to enable the mass surveillance of Palestinians. Microsoft President Brad Smith revealed the decision in a blog post, where he stated that the company acted after reviewing an August 6 report in The Guardian that said an Israeli Defense Forces intelligence unit was collecting and storing the telephone calls of Palestinian civilians using the Azure cloud platform. Azure is Microsoft's primary cloud computing service, and provides access to storage and compute infrastructure as well as artificial intelligence services. In the Guardian report, which cited interviews with anonymous sources including some Microsoft employees and Israeli officials, the British news organization alleged that the intelligence unit had access to a "customized and segregated area" within the Azure cloud. In his blog post, Smith did not confirm that, but said the company had conducted a review of the Israeli military's use of its cloud platform. He said it had found "evidence that supports elements of the Guardian's reporting" relating to the IDF's use of some AI services and storage capacity in the Netherlands. As a result, the company has informed the Israeli Defense Ministry, which oversees the IDF, that it's going to cut the unit's access to some of its cloud services. Smith did not name the unit in question, but it's widely believed to be a division of the IDF known as Unit 8200, whose role is similar to that of the U.S. National Security Agency. Smith stressed that Microsoft will not allow its technology to be used for mass surveillance of civilians. "We have applied this principle in every country around the world, and we have insisted on it repeatedly for more than two decades," Smith said. Microsoft is not completely cutting off the IDF from using its cloud services, and Smith added that the company would continue working with it to "protect the cybersecurity of Israel" and other Middle Eastern nations. Israel's Defense Ministry declined to comment on Microsoft's decision, but earlier, in response to the Guardian's original report, it pointed out that its work with the company falls under "legally supervised agreements", and insisted that it was not working with it on "the storage or processing of data." The Guardian's article wasn't the first to allege that the IDF has been using U.S. software products to facilitate its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Some Microsoft employees have responded to earlier reports by holding internal protests, and at least five individuals were subsequently terminated by the company. Last month, Microsoft revealed that it had asked police to remove some employees who had "improperly entered" its headquarters in Redmond, Washington, to conduct protests. The company later said it will not take action against employees who are simply expressing their views, but would respond to anyone it identified as making threats against it. Some of the protests were led by a group called No Tech For Apartheid that was formed in 2021 to pressure Silicon Valley companies into cutting their ties with the Israeli military. More recently, an offshoot group called No Azure for Apartheid has emerged, which led the recent office invasion. In May, one of the group's members, a software engineer called Joe Lopez, was fired by Microsoft after he interrupted Chief Executive Satya Nadella's keynote speech during the company's annual Build developer conference. "Satya, how about you show how Microsoft is killing Palestinians," Lopez yelled inside a packed conference hall as Nadella was beginning his speech. A spokesperson for No Azure for Apartheid told the Wall Street Journal it welcomed the company's "significant and unprecedented" decision to stop providing some services to the IDF, but said it hasn't gone far enough. "Microsoft has only disabled a small subset of services to only one unit of the Israeli military," the spokesperson said. "The vast majority of Microsoft's contract with the Israeli military remains intact." It's not clear how much disruption the move will create for the IDF, but earlier today The Guardian reported that Unit 8200 was planning to migrate some of its databases that store phone call information to Amazon Web Services, an alternative public cloud service operated by Amazon.com Inc. Amnesty International researcher Matt Mahmoudi, who has previously investigated how Israel has been using cloud technology to monitor Palestinians, also welcomed the decision. "Microsoft's conduct should serve as a wake-up call to other companies supplying cloud infrastructure, AI and surveillance products to Israel," he said.

Microsoft blocks some services used by Israeli military unit after investigation into mass surveillance of Palestinians

Microsoft's Azure software was used to store "millions" of recordings of mobile phone calls made by Palestinians living in Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Microsoft has blocked an Israeli military unit from accessing some services after preliminary evidence supported a media investigation that the software was used for surveillance of millions of Palestinian civilian phone calls. The unit used Microsoft's Azure software to store "millions" of recordings of mobile phone calls made by Palestinians living in Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank, according to a joint investigation by The Guardian and other outlets published in August. The investigation prompted an internal review by Microsoft, which found details of the Israel Ministry of Defence's (IMOD) consumption of Azure storage capacity in the Netherlands and the use of AI services supported the reporting, Microsoft president Brad Smith said. Mr Smith said the decision to "cease and disable" certain IMOD subscriptions, including the use of specific cloud storage and AI services, would not impact Microsoft's cyber security services to Israel and other Middle Eastern countries. A spokesperson for the IMOD told Sky News' US partner network NBC that it had no comment following Microsoft's announcement. In August, the military told The Guardian that Microsoft "is not and has not been working with the (Israeli military) on the storage or processing of data". Microsoft has been the target of protests over its ties to Israel, including by a tech industry worker-led campaign group named No Azure for Apartheid. The campaigners are among pro-Palestinian groups who welcomed Microsoft's decision to block the Israeli military from certain services. Read more from Sky News: Trump 'very, very committed' to ending Gaza war US president thinks 'some kind of deal' close in Gaza It is a "point of vindication for those brave tech workers who stood up and protested", said Imraan Siddiqi, executive director of the Washington state chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations. The Guardian's investigation was conducted with Israeli-Palestinian publication +972 Magazine and Hebrew-language outlet Local Call.

Microsoft reduces Israel's access to cloud and AI products over reports of mass surveillance in Gaza

The action comes after The Associated Press and The Guardian published reports earlier this year revealing how the Israeli Ministry of Defense had been using Microsoft's Azure platform to aid in the war in Gaza and occupation of the West Bank. Brad Smith, Microsoft's vice chair and president, wrote in a blog post that the company was taking steps to enforce compliance with its terms of service. An AP investigation in February showed that the Israeli military's use of Microsoft products skyrocketed after a deadly surprise attack by Hamas militants on Oct. 7, 2023. The AP's report cited internal Microsoft data showing the Israelis were using gigabytes of cloud storage and massive amounts of AI-enabled language translation services. The AP also reported that Israel's military used Microsoft Azure to compile information gathered through mass surveillance, which it transcribes and translates, including phone calls and text messages. That intelligence is then cross-checked with Israel's in-house AI systems for targeting airstrikes. AP reported that internal Microsoft data showed multiple Azure subscriptions were tied to Unit 8200, an elite cyber warfare unit within the Israeli Army responsible for clandestine operations, collecting signal intelligence and surveillance. Following AP's report, Microsoft acknowledged in May that it had sold advanced AI and cloud computing services to the Israeli military during the Gaza war and aided in efforts to locate and rescue Israeli hostages. But the company said an internal review found "no evidence" its Azure platform was used to target or harm people. The Guardian, working in partnership with the Israeli-Palestinian publication +972 Magazine and the Hebrew-language outlet Local Call, reported in August that the commander of Unit 8200 had met directly with Microsoft chairman and CEO Satya Nadella in 2021. The Israeli unit then used Microsoft products to aid in the development of an AI-powered mass surveillance system that was sweeping up, translating and analyzing millions of telephone calls per day made by Palestinian civilians. The report also revealed that data from the Israeli surveillance system was being stored at Microsoft cloud data centers in Europe. Following The Guardian's report, Microsoft commissioned a second review, this time by an outside law firm. While that review is still ongoing, Smith said Thursday the probe had uncovered evidence that its products were being used in violation of its terms of service. However, Smith did not name the specific Israeli unit losing access to Microsoft services. Microsoft declined to answer detailed questions from the AP on Thursday, including whether Unit 8200 was involved. The company would also not answer how it would ensure the Israeli military wouldn't simply shift its mass surveillance operations to any of the hundreds of other Azure subscriptions under its control. An Israeli security official told the AP Microsoft's move would produce "no damage to the operational capabilities" of the Israel Defense Forces. The official spoke on condition of anonymity, consistent with military protocol in Israel. Hossam Nasr, one of more than a dozen Microsoft employees fired or arrested after protests over the company's involvement in the war in Gaza, called Thursday's announcement a "significant and unprecedented win." But, he said, it was not enough. "Microsoft has only disabled a small subset of services to only one unit in the Israeli military," said Nasr, an organizer with the group No Azure for Apartheid. "The vast majority of Microsoft's contract with the Israeli military remains intact." ___ Mednick reported from Jerusalem and Burke from San Francisco. The Associated Press receives financial assistance from the Omidyar Network to support coverage of artificial intelligence and its impact on society. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

Microsoft reduces Israel's access to cloud and AI products over reports of mass surveillance in Gaza

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Microsoft said Thursday it had disabled services to a unit within the Israeli military after a company review had determined its artificial intelligence and cloud computing products were being used to help carry out mass surveillance of Palestinians. The action comes after The Associated Press and The Guardian published reports earlier this year revealing how the Israeli Ministry of Defense had been using Microsoft's Azure platform to aid in the war in Gaza and occupation of the West Bank. Brad Smith, Microsoft's vice chair and president, wrote in a blog post that the company was taking steps to enforce compliance with its terms of service. An AP investigation in February showed that the Israeli military's use of Microsoft products skyrocketed after a deadly surprise attack by Hamas militants on Oct. 7, 2023. The AP's report cited internal Microsoft data showing the Israelis were using gigabytes of cloud storage and massive amounts of AI-enabled language translation services. The AP also reported that Israel's military used Microsoft Azure to compile information gathered through mass surveillance, which it transcribes and translates, including phone calls and text messages. That intelligence is then cross-checked with Israel's in-house AI systems for targeting airstrikes. AP reported that internal Microsoft data showed multiple Azure subscriptions were tied to Unit 8200, an elite cyber warfare unit within the Israeli Army responsible for clandestine operations, collecting signal intelligence and surveillance. Following AP's report, Microsoft acknowledged in May that it had sold advanced AI and cloud computing services to the Israeli military during the Gaza war and aided in efforts to locate and rescue Israeli hostages. But the company said an internal review found "no evidence" its Azure platform was used to target or harm people. The Guardian, working in partnership with the Israeli-Palestinian publication +972 Magazine and the Hebrew-language outlet Local Call, reported in August that the commander of Unit 8200 had met directly with Microsoft chairman and CEO Satya Nadella in 2021. The Israeli unit then used Microsoft products to aid in the development of an AI-powered mass surveillance system that was sweeping up, translating and analyzing millions of telephone calls per day made by Palestinian civilians. The report also revealed that data from the Israeli surveillance system was being stored at Microsoft cloud data centers in Europe. Following The Guardian's report, Microsoft commissioned a second review, this time by an outside law firm. While that review is still ongoing, Smith said Thursday the probe had uncovered evidence that its products were being used in violation of its terms of service. However, Smith did not name the specific Israeli unit losing access to Microsoft services. Microsoft declined to answer detailed questions from AP on Thursday, including whether Unit 8200 was involved. The company would also not answer how it would ensure the Israeli military wouldn't simply shift its mass surveillance operations to any of the hundreds of other Azure subscriptions under its control. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Hossam Nasr, one of more than a dozen Microsoft employees fired or arrested after protests over the company's involvement in the war in Gaza, called Thursday's announcement a "significant and unprecedented win." But, he said, it was not enough. "Microsoft has only disabled a small subset of services to only one unit in the Israeli military," said Nasr, an organizer with the group No Azure for Apartheid. "The vast majority of Microsoft's contract with the Israeli military remains intact." ___ Mednick reported from Jerusalem and Burke from San Francisco. ___ Contact AP's global investigative team at [email protected] or https://www.ap.org/tips/ ___ The Associated Press receives financial assistance from the Omidyar Network to support coverage of artificial intelligence and its impact on society. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

Microsoft Reduces Israel's Access to Cloud and AI Products Over Reports of Mass Surveillance in Gaza

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Microsoft said Thursday it had disabled services to a unit within the Israeli military after a company review had determined its artificial intelligence and cloud computing products were being used to help carry out mass surveillance of Palestinians. The action comes after The Associated Press and The Guardian published reports earlier this year revealing how the Israeli Ministry of Defense had been using Microsoft's Azure platform to aid in the war in Gaza and occupation of the West Bank. Brad Smith, Microsoft's vice chair and president, wrote in a blog post that the company was taking steps to enforce compliance with its terms of service. An AP investigation in February showed that the Israeli military's use of Microsoft products skyrocketed after a deadly surprise attack by Hamas militants on Oct. 7, 2023. The AP's report cited internal Microsoft data showing the Israelis were using gigabytes of cloud storage and massive amounts of AI-enabled language translation services. The AP also reported that Israel's military used Microsoft Azure to compile information gathered through mass surveillance, which it transcribes and translates, including phone calls and text messages. That intelligence is then cross-checked with Israel's in-house AI systems for targeting airstrikes. AP reported that internal Microsoft data showed multiple Azure subscriptions were tied to Unit 8200, an elite cyber warfare unit within the Israeli Army responsible for clandestine operations, collecting signal intelligence and surveillance. Following AP's report, Microsoft acknowledged in May that it had sold advanced AI and cloud computing services to the Israeli military during the Gaza war and aided in efforts to locate and rescue Israeli hostages. But the company said an internal review found "no evidence" its Azure platform was used to target or harm people. The Guardian, working in partnership with the Israeli-Palestinian publication +972 Magazine and the Hebrew-language outlet Local Call, reported in August that the commander of Unit 8200 had met directly with Microsoft chairman and CEO Satya Nadella in 2021. The Israeli unit then used Microsoft products to aid in the development of an AI-powered mass surveillance system that was sweeping up, translating and analyzing millions of telephone calls per day made by Palestinian civilians. The report also revealed that data from the Israeli surveillance system was being stored at Microsoft cloud data centers in Europe. Following The Guardian's report, Microsoft commissioned a second review, this time by an outside law firm. While that review is still ongoing, Smith said Thursday the probe had uncovered evidence that its products were being used in violation of its terms of service. However, Smith did not name the specific Israeli unit losing access to Microsoft services. Microsoft declined to answer detailed questions from AP on Thursday, including whether Unit 8200 was involved. The company would also not answer how it would ensure the Israeli military wouldn't simply shift its mass surveillance operations to any of the hundreds of other Azure subscriptions under its control. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Hossam Nasr, one of more than a dozen Microsoft employees fired or arrested after protests over the company's involvement in the war in Gaza, called Thursday's announcement a "significant and unprecedented win." But, he said, it was not enough. "Microsoft has only disabled a small subset of services to only one unit in the Israeli military," said Nasr, an organizer with the group No Azure for Apartheid. "The vast majority of Microsoft's contract with the Israeli military remains intact." ___ Mednick reported from Jerusalem and Burke from San Francisco. ___ Contact AP's global investigative team at [email protected] or https://www.ap.org/tips/ ___ The Associated Press receives financial assistance from the Omidyar Network to support coverage of artificial intelligence and its impact on society. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

Microsoft Blocks Israel From Using Tech To Survey Palestine

The Xbox company has disabled the Israeli government’s use of its cloud storage and AI services The Guardian is reporting that Microsoft has cut off the Israeli military's access to the technology that it has been using to conduct surveillance on phone calls in Palestine. According to the report, the Xbox company told Israeli officials that the military's spy agency, Unit 8200, violated its terms of service by "storing the vast trove of surveillance data in its Azure cloud platform." This follows previous Guardian reporting from August on how Azure was being used to store Palestine communications, as Israel had been surveilling civilian phone calls in Gaza and the West Bank. Following the report, Microsoft had an external investigation conducted into its relationship with Unit 8200, which led to the cancellation of the unit's access to its cloud storage and AI services. You can read the Guardian's story for more of the minutiae, but the long and short of it is that this is a huge win for both the employees and external forces that have been calling for a boycott of Microsoft due to its relationship with the Israeli government, as it continues its ongoing attacks on the people of Palestine. Microsoft was added to the BDS Movement’s boycott list earlier this year, with the movement calling the company “perhaps the most complicit tech company in Israel’s illegal occupation, apartheid regime and ongoing genocide against 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza.†This included calls to cancel subscriptions to Xbox Game Pass, as well as boycotting games like Candy Crush, Minecraft, and Call of Duty, which are all owned by Microsoft's various studios. We've reached out to the BDS Movement for comment and will update the story if we hear back. Brad Smith, the Vice Chair & President of Microsoft, sent an email to employees that was published on the company’s blog, in which he cited The Guardian’s reporting as the catalyst for this decision. While our review is ongoing, we have found evidence that supports elements of The Guardian’s reporting. This evidence includes information relating to IMOD consumption of Azure storage capacity in the Netherlands and the use of AI services. We therefore have informed IMOD of Microsoft’s decision to cease and disable specified IMOD subscriptions and their services, including their use of specific cloud storage and AI services and technologies. We have reviewed this decision with IMOD and the steps we are taking to ensure compliance with our terms of service, focused on ensuring our services are not used for mass surveillance of civilians. As I said at our recent employee townhall, this does not impact the important work that Microsoft continues to do to protect the cybersecurity of Israel and other countries in the Middle East, including under the Abraham Accords. I want to note our appreciation for the reporting of The Guardian. Its reports were based in part on sources outside Microsoft that had information we could not access in light of our customer privacy commitments. This helped inform our review. While this is a victory, as both Smith and The Guardian note, Microsoft still has other longstanding relationships with the Israel Defense Forces, which include access to certain tech and services. But this is the first example of a United States company pulling its resources from Israel since the war with Gaza began.

Microsoft reduces Israel's access to cloud and AI products over reports of mass surveillance in Gaza

Microsoft said Thursday it had disabled services to a unit within the Israeli military after a company review had determined its artificial intelligence and cloud computing products were being used to help carry out mass surveillance of Palestinians. The action comes after The Associated Press and The Guardian published reports earlier this year revealing how the Israeli Ministry of Defense had been using Microsoft's Azure platform to aid in the war in Gaza and occupation of the West Bank. Brad Smith, Microsoft's vice chair and president, wrote in a blog post that the company was taking steps to enforce compliance with its terms of service. An AP investigation in February showed that the Israeli military's use of Microsoft products skyrocketed after a deadly surprise attack by Hamas militants on Oct. 7, 2023. The AP's report cited internal Microsoft data showing the Israelis were using gigabytes of cloud storage and massive amounts of AI-enabled language translation services. The AP also reported that Israel's military used Microsoft Azure to compile information gathered through mass surveillance, which it transcribes and translates, including phone calls and text messages. That intelligence is then cross-checked with Israel's in-house AI systems for targeting airstrikes. AP reported that internal Microsoft data showed multiple Azure subscriptions were tied to Unit 8200, an elite cyber warfare unit within the Israeli Army responsible for clandestine operations, collecting signal intelligence and surveillance. Following AP's report, Microsoft acknowledged in May that it had sold advanced AI and cloud computing services to the Israeli military during the Gaza war and aided in efforts to locate and rescue Israeli hostages. But the company said an internal review found "no evidence" its Azure platform was used to target or harm people. The Guardian, working in partnership with the Israeli-Palestinian publication +972 Magazine and the Hebrew-language outlet Local Call, reported in August that the commander of Unit 8200 had met directly with Microsoft chairman and CEO Satya Nadella in 2021. The Israeli unit then used Microsoft products to aid in the development of an AI-powered mass surveillance system that was sweeping up, translating and analyzing millions of telephone calls per day made by Palestinian civilians. The report also revealed that data from the Israeli surveillance system was being stored at Microsoft cloud data centers in Europe. Following The Guardian's report, Microsoft commissioned a second review, this time by an outside law firm. While that review is still ongoing, Smith said Thursday the probe had uncovered evidence that its products were being used in violation of its terms of service. However, Smith did not name the specific Israeli unit losing access to Microsoft services. Microsoft declined to answer detailed questions from the AP on Thursday, including whether Unit 8200 was involved. The company would also not answer how it would ensure the Israeli military wouldn't simply shift its mass surveillance operations to any of the hundreds of other Azure subscriptions under its control. An Israeli security official told the AP Microsoft's move would produce "no damage to the operational capabilities" of the Israel Defense Forces. The official spoke on condition of anonymity, consistent with military protocol in Israel. Hossam Nasr, one of more than a dozen Microsoft employees fired or arrested after protests over the company's involvement in the war in Gaza, called Thursday's announcement a "significant and unprecedented win." But, he said, it was not enough. "Microsoft has only disabled a small subset of services to only one unit in the Israeli military," said Nasr, an organizer with the group No Azure for Apartheid. "The vast majority of Microsoft's contract with the Israeli military remains intact."

Microsoft disables services to Israel defense unit after review - The Economic Times

Microsoft on Thursday said it disabled a set of cloud and AI services used by a unit within the Israel Ministry of Defense (IMOD) after an internal review found preliminary evidence supporting media reports of a surveillance system in Gaza and West Bank. Brad Smith, Microsoft's president, said the company opened the review after an August article by the Guardian alleged activity by a unit of the Israel Defense Forces. The Guardian reported that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) was using Microsoft's Azure for collecting and storing data on phone calls made by civilians in Gaza and the West Bank. While the review is ongoing, Microsoft said it found evidence supporting elements of the Guardian's reporting, including details on IMOD's consumption of Azure storage capacity in the Netherlands and the use of AI services. "We do not provide technology to facilitate mass surveillance of civilians," Smith said in a Microsoft blog. Microsoft has informed the Israeli defense ministry of its "decision to cease and disable specified IMOD subscriptions and their services, including their use of specific cloud storage and AI services and technologies." The action does not impact Microsoft's cybersecurity services to Israel and other countries in the Middle East, Smith said. In late August, Microsoft fired four employees who took part in protests on company premises over the company's ties to Israel as the war in Gaza continues, including two who joined a sit-in at the office of the company's president. The company said the terminations followed serious breaches of company policies and the on-site demonstrations had "created significant safety concerns."

Microsoft reduces Israel's access to cloud and AI products over reports of mass surveillance in Gaza - The Korea Times

WASHINGTON -- Microsoft said Thursday it had disabled services to a unit within the Israeli military after a company review had determined its artificial intelligence and cloud computing products were being used to help carry out mass surveillance of Palestinians. The action comes after The Associated Press and The Guardian published reports earlier this year revealing how the Israeli Ministry of Defense had been using Microsoft's Azure platform to aid in the war in Gaza and occupation of the West Bank. Brad Smith, Microsoft's vice chair and president, wrote in a blog post that the company was taking steps to enforce compliance with its terms of service. An AP investigation in February showed that the Israeli military's use of Microsoft products skyrocketed after a deadly surprise attack by Hamas militants on Oct. 7, 2023. The AP's report cited internal Microsoft data showing the Israelis were using gigabytes of cloud storage and massive amounts of AI-enabled language translation services. The AP also reported that Israel's military used Microsoft Azure to compile information gathered through mass surveillance, which it transcribes and translates, including phone calls and text messages. That intelligence is then cross-checked with Israel's in-house AI systems for targeting airstrikes. AP reported that internal Microsoft data showed multiple Azure subscriptions were tied to Unit 8200, an elite cyber warfare unit within the Israeli Army responsible for clandestine operations, collecting signal intelligence and surveillance. Following AP's report, Microsoft acknowledged in May that it had sold advanced AI and cloud computing services to the Israeli military during the Gaza war and aided in efforts to locate and rescue Israeli hostages. But the company said an internal review found "no evidence" its Azure platform was used to target or harm people. The Guardian, working in partnership with the Israeli-Palestinian publication +972 Magazine and the Hebrew-language outlet Local Call, reported in August that the commander of Unit 8200 had met directly with Microsoft chairman and CEO Satya Nadella in 2021. The Israeli unit then used Microsoft products to aid in the development of an AI-powered mass surveillance system that was sweeping up, translating and analyzing millions of telephone calls per day made by Palestinian civilians. The report also revealed that data from the Israeli surveillance system was being stored at Microsoft cloud data centers in Europe. Following The Guardian's report, Microsoft commissioned a second review, this time by an outside law firm. While that review is still ongoing, Smith said Thursday the probe had uncovered evidence that its products were being used in violation of its terms of service. However, Smith did not name the specific Israeli unit losing access to Microsoft services. Microsoft declined to answer detailed questions from AP on Thursday, including whether Unit 8200 was involved. The company would also not answer how it would ensure the Israeli military wouldn't simply shift its mass surveillance operations to any of the hundreds of other Azure subscriptions under its control. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Hossam Nasr, one of more than a dozen Microsoft employees fired or arrested after protests over the company's involvement in the war in Gaza, called Thursday's announcement a "significant and unprecedented win." But, he said, it was not enough. "Microsoft has only disabled a small subset of services to only one unit in the Israeli military," said Nasr, an organizer with the group No Azure for Apartheid. "The vast majority of Microsoft's contract with the Israeli military remains intact."

Microsoft reduces Israel's access to cloud and AI products over reports of mass surveillance in Gaza

WASHINGTON -- Microsoft said Thursday it had disabled services to a unit within the Israeli military after a company review had determined its artificial intelligence and cloud computing products were being used to help carry out mass surveillance of Palestinians. The action comes after The Associated Press and The Guardian published reports earlier this year revealing how the Israeli Ministry of Defense had been using Microsoft's Azure platform to aid in the war in Gaza and occupation of the West Bank. Brad Smith, Microsoft's vice chair and president, wrote in a blog post that the company was taking steps to enforce compliance with its terms of service. An AP investigation in February showed that the Israeli military's use of Microsoft products skyrocketed after a deadly surprise attack by Hamas militants on Oct. 7, 2023. The AP's report cited internal Microsoft data showing the Israelis were using gigabytes of cloud storage and massive amounts of AI-enabled language translation services. The AP also reported that Israel's military used Microsoft Azure to compile information gathered through mass surveillance, which it transcribes and translates, including phone calls and text messages. That intelligence is then cross-checked with Israel's in-house AI systems for targeting airstrikes. AP reported that internal Microsoft data showed multiple Azure subscriptions were tied to Unit 8200, an elite cyber warfare unit within the Israeli Army responsible for clandestine operations, collecting signal intelligence and surveillance. Following AP's report, Microsoft acknowledged in May that it had sold advanced AI and cloud computing services to the Israeli military during the Gaza war and aided in efforts to locate and rescue Israeli hostages. But the company said an internal review found "no evidence" its Azure platform was used to target or harm people. The Guardian, working in partnership with the Israeli-Palestinian publication +972 Magazine and the Hebrew-language outlet Local Call, reported in August that the commander of Unit 8200 had met directly with Microsoft chairman and CEO Satya Nadella in 2021. The Israeli unit then used Microsoft products to aid in the development of an AI-powered mass surveillance system that was sweeping up, translating and analyzing millions of telephone calls per day made by Palestinian civilians. The report also revealed that data from the Israeli surveillance system was being stored at Microsoft cloud data centers in Europe. Following The Guardian's report, Microsoft commissioned a second review, this time by an outside law firm. While that review is still ongoing, Smith said Thursday the probe had uncovered evidence that its products were being used in violation of its terms of service. However, Smith did not name the specific Israeli unit losing access to Microsoft services. Microsoft declined to answer detailed questions from the AP on Thursday, including whether Unit 8200 was involved. The company would also not answer how it would ensure the Israeli military wouldn't simply shift its mass surveillance operations to any of the hundreds of other Azure subscriptions under its control. An Israeli security official told the AP Microsoft's move would produce "no damage to the operational capabilities" of the Israel Defense Forces. The official spoke on condition of anonymity, consistent with military protocol in Israel. Hossam Nasr, one of more than a dozen Microsoft employees fired or arrested after protests over the company's involvement in the war in Gaza, called Thursday's announcement a "significant and unprecedented win." But, he said, it was not enough. "Microsoft has only disabled a small subset of services to only one unit in the Israeli military," said Nasr, an organizer with the group No Azure for Apartheid. "The vast majority of Microsoft's contract with the Israeli military remains intact." ___ The Associated Press receives financial assistance from the Omidyar Network to support coverage of artificial intelligence and its impact on society. AP is solely responsible for all content. Mednick reported from Jerusalem and Burke from San Francisco.

Microsoft disables set of key services to Israeli military after...

Microsoft on Thursday said it disabled a set of cloud and AI services used by a unit within the Israel Ministry of Defense after an internal review found preliminary evidence supporting media reports of a surveillance system in Gaza and the West Bank. Brad Smith, Microsoft's president, said the company opened the review after an article by the Guardian alleged activity by a unit of the Israel Defense Forces. A joint investigation published in early August by the Guardian, Israeli-Palestinian publication +972 Magazine and Hebrew-language outlet Local Call reported that an Israeli military surveillance agency used Microsoft's Azure to store large volumes of mobile phone call recordings from Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza. The Guardian investigation said Israel relied on Microsoft cloud for expansive surveillance of Palestinians. While the review is ongoing, Microsoft said it found evidence supporting elements of the Guardian's reporting, including details on IMOD's consumption of Azure storage capacity in the Netherlands and the use of AI services. "We do not provide technology to facilitate mass surveillance of civilians," Smith said in a Microsoft blog. Microsoft has informed the Israeli defense ministry of its "decision to cease and disable specified IMOD subscriptions and their services, including their use of specific cloud storage and AI services and technologies." The action does not impact Microsoft's cybersecurity services to Israel and other countries in the Middle East, Smith said. In late August, Microsoft fired four employees who took part in protests on company premises over its ties to Israel as the war in Gaza continues, including two who joined a sit-in at the office of the company's president. Microsoft said the terminations followed serious breaches of company policies and the on-site demonstrations had "created significant safety concerns."

Violating The Terms Of Service: Microsoft, Azure And The IDF

On August 6, The Guardian reported that "multiple individuals have asserted that the IDF [Israeli Defense Forces] is using Azure for the storage of files of phone calls obtained through broad or mass surveillance of civilians in Gaza and the West Bank." The tale began in 2021, when Microsoft, the company responsible for the Azure cloud platform that promises endless wells of data storage, endorsed a plan that would enable Unit 8200, Israel's famed cyberwarfare agency, customised access. The agreement, reached between the unit's commander Yossi Sariel and Microsoft's chief executive, Satya Nadella, was a boon for mass surveillance enthusiasts. The Guardian report, a co-investigative effort with Hebrew-language outlet Local Call and Israeli-Palestinian publication +972 Magazine, drew from leaked documents and 11 interviews from the corporation and the Israeli intelligence services. Nadella offered the fool's defence, claiming ignorance at what Unit 8200 was hoping to store. A cursory look at the profile of Sariel's outfit would have dispelled any doubts, suggesting that the chief executive was telling a massive fib. Three Unit 8200 sources, for instance, noted that Azure was used to facilitate "the preparation of deadly airstrikes and has shaped military operations in Gaza and the West Bank." While Israel has long exercised control over the telecommunications infrastructure of the Palestinians, the cloud platform offered an indiscriminate netting of cellular calls. The company's thick links to Israel has drawn much attention from employees within the organisation and activists associated with the No Azure for Apartheid group. Microsoft is not shy in admitting, as it did in an updated statement on August 15, that it "provides IMOD with software, professional services, Azure cloud services, and Azure AI services, including language translation. As with many governments around the world, we also work with the Israeli government to protect its cyberspace against external threats." Nor is the tech behemoth shy in punishing employees who have dared exercise a conscience on the matter. Last month, Anna Hattle, Riki Fameli, Nisreen Jaradat and Julius Shan, were sacked for participating in protests on company premises regarding the company's ongoing association with Israel. These demonstrations had apparently, in the eyes of the company goons, "created significant safety concerns". The company had also conducted a previous undisclosed review into the findings of an investigation by The Associated Press that noted the use of Azure by the Israeli Defense Ministry and its insatiable appetite for commercial artificial intelligence (AI) products in the aftermath of the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas. On May 15, the company declared with implausible confidence that its internal assessments and external review had "found no evidence" that the Azure platform and AI technologies "or any other software, have been used to harm people or that IMOD has failed to comply with our terms of service or our AI Code of Conduct." The dark publicity prompted by The Guardian and its co-investigators was enough to push Microsoft on August 15 to revisit the allegations, using the services of the law firm Covington & Burling LLP and the technical expertise of a consulting firm. On the morning of September 25, Brad Smith, Vice Chair and President, sent a message to Microsoft employees claiming that the ongoing review had "found evidence that support's elements of The Guardian's reporting. This evidence includes information relating to IMOD (Israel Ministry of Defense) consumption of Azure storage capacity in the Netherlands and the use of AI services." The Ministry had duly been informed of the company's decision to cease and disable bespoke subscriptions and their services "including their use of specific cloud storage and AI services and technologies." The decision had been reviewed with the IMOD and steps taken "to ensure compliance with our terms of service, focusing on ensuring our services are not used for mass surveillance of civilians." In keeping with the company's vigorous spirit of having its cake and eating it too, Smith goes on to inform recipients of the message that the move did nothing to end or impair "the important work that Microsoft continues to do to protect the cybersecurity of Israel and other countries in the Middle East, including under the Abraham Accords." And why would it? Israel is a reliable, valuable client, and had merely tripped in failing to abide by the terms of service. That such tripping played, as it continues to do, a vital role in the systematic destruction of Palestinian lives, infrastructure and cultural existence, was a minor matter. Palestinians, as the exhaustive work of Anthony Loewenstein shows, remain test subjects for new weapons, novel forms of targeting, and surveillance, an endeavour that has spawned a global cyber-military-industrial complex. This explains why the move by Microsoft did not precipitate the usual accusations of discrimination and antisemitism Israeli officials foamingly issue when their conduct is found wanting. This was framed as a commercial matter, a crease that could be ironed out with solicitude. "There is no damage to the operational capabilities of the IDF," stated one military official to the Times of Israel. Having been forewarned about the measure, Unit 8200 had backed up the data it had stored before the access to the cloud services was terminated. Both the IDF and Microsoft can now continue their working relationship, as long as those tepid terms of service are observed, even if it entails the continued program of extermination in Gaza and apartheid in the West Bank.

Microsoft reduces Israel's access to cloud and AI products over reports of mass surveillance in Gaza

(AP) -- said Thursday it had disabled services to a unit within the Israeli military after a company review had determined its artificial intelligence and cloud computing products were being used to help carry out mass surveillance of Palestinians. The action comes after and The Guardian published reports earlier this year revealing how the had been using Microsoft's Azure platform to aid in the war in and occupation of the . , Microsoft's vice chair and president, wrote in a blog post that the company was taking steps to enforce compliance with its terms of service. An AP investigation in February showed that the Israeli military's use of products skyrocketed after a deadly surprise attack by militants on . The AP's report cited internal data showing the Israelis were using gigabytes of cloud storage and massive amounts of AI-enabled language translation services. The AP also reported that Israel's military used Microsoft Azure to compile information gathered through mass surveillance, which it transcribes and translates, including phone calls and text messages. That intelligence is then cross-checked with Israel's in-house AI systems for targeting airstrikes. AP reported that internal data showed multiple Azure subscriptions were tied to Unit 8200, an elite cyber warfare unit within the responsible for clandestine operations, collecting signal intelligence and surveillance. Following AP's report, acknowledged in May that it had sold advanced AI and cloud computing services to the Israeli military during the war and aided in efforts to locate and rescue Israeli hostages. But the company said an internal review found "no evidence" its Azure platform was used to target or harm people. The Guardian, working in partnership with the Israeli-Palestinian publication +972 Magazine and the Hebrew-language outlet Local Call, reported in August that the commander of Unit 8200 had met directly with chairman and CEO in 2021. The Israeli unit then used products to aid in the development of an AI-powered mass surveillance system that was sweeping up, translating and analyzing millions of telephone calls per day made by Palestinian civilians. The report also revealed that data from the Israeli surveillance system was being stored at cloud data centers in . Following The Guardian's report, commissioned a second review, this time by an outside law firm. While that review is still ongoing, Smith said Thursday the probe had uncovered evidence that its products were being used in violation of its terms of service. However, Smith did not name the specific Israeli unit losing access to services. declined to answer detailed questions from the AP on Thursday, including whether Unit 8200 was involved. The company would also not answer how it would ensure the Israeli military wouldn't simply shift its mass surveillance operations to any of the hundreds of other Azure subscriptions under its control. An Israeli security official told the AP 's move would produce "no damage to the operational capabilities" of the Israel Defense Forces. The official spoke on condition of anonymity, consistent with military protocol in . , one of more than a dozen employees fired or arrested after protests over the company's involvement in the war in , called Thursday's announcement a "significant and unprecedented win." But, he said, it was not enough. "Microsoft has only disabled a small subset of services to only one unit in the Israeli military," said Nasr, an organizer with the group No Azure for Apartheid. "The vast majority of Microsoft's contract with the Israeli military remains intact." Contact AP's global investigative team at [email protected] or https://www.ap.org/tips/ ___ The Associated Press receives financial assistance from the Omidyar Network to support coverage of artificial intelligence and its impact on society. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org. Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. , source

Microsoft disables services to Israel defense unit after review

(Reuters) -Microsoft on Thursday said it disabled a set of cloud and AI services used by a unit within the Israel Ministry of Defense (IMOD) after an internal review found preliminary evidence supporting media reports of a surveillance system in Gaza and West Bank. Brad Smith, Microsoft's president, said the company opened the review after an August article by the Guardian alleged activity by a unit of the Israel Defense Forces. The Guardian reported that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) was using Microsoft's Azure for collecting and storing data on phone calls made by civilians in Gaza and the West Bank. While the review is ongoing, Microsoft said it found evidence supporting elements of the Guardian's reporting, including details on IMOD's consumption of Azure storage capacity in the Netherlands and the use of AI services. "We do not provide technology to facilitate mass surveillance of civilians," Smith said in a Microsoft blog. Microsoft has informed the Israeli defense ministry of its "decision to cease and disable specified IMOD subscriptions and their services, including their use of specific cloud storage and AI services and technologies." The action does not impact Microsoft's cybersecurity services to Israel and other countries in the Middle East, Smith said. In late August, Microsoft fired four employees who took part in protests on company premises over the company's ties to Israel as the war in Gaza continues, including two who joined a sit-in at the office of the company's president. The company said the terminations followed serious breaches of company policies and the on-site demonstrations had "created significant safety concerns." (Reporting by Juby Babu in Mexico City; Editing by Tasim Zahid)