Microsoft has suspended certain services provided to Israel’s military following findings that the country may have used the company’s cloud computing technology for mass surveillance of Palestinians.
In a statement posted on the company’s blog, Microsoft President Brad Smith said the company had “ceased and disabled a set of services to a unit within the Israel Ministry of Defense.”
The action follows an investigation by The Guardian and Israel’s +972 Magazine in early August, which reported that Israel’s military intelligence unit, known as 8200, relied on Microsoft Azure to store millions of phone calls made by Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
Microsoft announced on August 15 that it had initiated a review of the allegations. Smith emphasized that Microsoft does not provide technology “to facilitate mass surveillance of civilians,” a principle it applies “in every country around the world.” He added that the review examined business records, financial statements, internal documents, and other records without accessing the content of the stored material.
During the investigation, Microsoft said it uncovered evidence that supported parts of the media reports, including Israel’s “consumption of Azure storage capacity in the Netherlands and the use of AI services.”
The company informed Israel of its decision “to cease and disable specific [Israel Defense Ministry] subscriptions and their services, including their use of specific cloud storage and AI services and technologies.”
An Israeli security official commented, “There is no damage to the operational capabilities of the IDF.”
Microsoft confirmed that its review is still ongoing.
