Microsoft’s BIG blow to Israel, blocks Israeli military access to…, over reports of mass…, in…

Microsoft has announced that it has cut off services to a unit of the Israeli military after an internal review found its AI and cloud products were being used to conduct large-scale surveillance of Palestinians.

The move follows reports earlier this year by The Associated Press and The Guardian, which revealed that Israel’s Ministry of Defence had relied on Microsoft’s Azure platform in connection with the war in Gaza and the occupation of the West Bank.

In a blog post, Microsoft vice chair and president Brad Smith said the company is taking steps to ensure compliance with its terms of service.

An AP investigation in February showed that the Israeli military’s reliance on Microsoft technologies surged after Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack. Internal Microsoft data cited in the report indicated heavy use of cloud storage and AI-driven language translation services.

Reports On Israel’s Mass Surveillance In Gaza

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.

Microsoft’s Action On Reports

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 analysing 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.

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 organiser with the group No Azure for Apartheid. “The vast majority of Microsoft’s contract with the Israeli military remains intact.” 

(With Inputs From AP)