Microsoft blocked access to some of the Israeli Ministry of Defense’s technology and services after an internal investigation revealed that the organization appears to be using the technology to store surveillance data on calls made by Palestinians.
Tech Giant announced Thursday that it had decided to “suspend and disable” certain subscriptions from the Israeli military. This affects your Azure Cloud storage and subscriptions to specific AI services.
“We don’t provide the technology to promote large-scale surveillance of civilians,” Microsoft vice-chairman and President Brad Smith wrote in a blog post. “We apply this principle in all countries around the world and have repeatedly argued it for over 20 years. This is why on August 15th, Microsoft’s standard terms of service publicly stated that it banned the use of technology for mass surveillance by citizens.”
Microsoft informed Israel of its decision last week, according to the Guardian.
The decision follows an ongoing review of Microsoft’s ongoing issues that began in August. The investigation was triggered by the Guardian story, where Unit 8200, an elite Israeli military intelligence reporting unit, used Azure cloud storage to accommodate data on phones obtained through surveillance of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.
In his blog post, Smith also said the company appreciated the Guardian’s initial report. Smith wrote that he had no idea to investigate the issue because without it, he would not be able to access the customer’s content due to the customer’s privacy rights.
“As employees, we all have a common interest in protecting privacy given the business value we create by enabling our customers to rely on services at Row Solid Trust,” writes Smith.
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The company said the review was ongoing, but declined to comment on TechCrunch about what is still under review.
Microsoft has been firing fire from both employees and outsiders for its involvement with Israel over the past year. Protests over Microsoft’s relationship with Israel came at the company’s 50th anniversary ceremony in April. In August, several employees took a sit-in at Smith’s office, enforcing a lockdown.
The company has fired multiple employees in recent months due to activism related to Microsoft’s contract with Israel.
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