Microsoft launches investigation to see whether Israel is using Azure cloud service for mass surveillance
Microsoft has opened an investigation into allegations that Israel’s military surveillance agency has used the company’s cloud service platform Azure to facilitate the mass surveillance of Palestinians.
The inquiry is a response to reports by The Guardian, the Israeli-Palestinian magazine +972 Magazine, and the Hebrew media outlet Local Call.
These media outlets found out that Unit 8200, Israel’s military surveillance agency, uses Azure to store millions of Palestinian phone calls made in Gaza and the West Bank. According to anonymous sources, these conversations would be used to determine targets for bombing.
According to leaked files, which have been reviewed by The Guardian, senior executives, including CEO Satya Nadella, were aware of Unit 8200’s plans to store large volumes of sensitive and classified information in Azure in late 2021. A company spokesperson, however, denies this and claims that Microsoft has no idea what data customers store on the company’s cloud environment.
In a statement, Microsoft said “using Azure for the storage of data files of phone calls obtained through broad or mass surveillance of civilians in Gaza and the West Bank” would be prohibited by its terms of service.
The British news outlet says this is Microsoft’s second inquiry into the use of its cloud platform by the Israeli military. The first investigation was conducted after similar claims were made by the media, but the Redmond-based company concluded at the time that nothing had happened that violated its terms of use, or Azure has been used “to target or harm people” in Gaza.
Microsoft has decided to launch a second investigation because of concerns that Unit 8200 concealed information, leaving the company in the dark on how it uses Azure. The new inquiry will examine the military intelligence agency’s commercial agreements with Microsoft. Once completed, Microsoft will “share with the public the factual findings that result from this review,” the company’s statement said.
