Microsoft Blocks Israeli Military Tech Over Palestinian Surveillance Allegations

Microsoft has cut off the Israeli military's Unit 8200 from using some of its cloud and AI services after investigations found the unit violated Microsoft's terms of service by using Azure to conduct mass surveillance on millions of Palestinian civilians' phone calls in Gaza and the West Bank. The company’s president, Brad Smith, stated that Microsoft does not allow its technology to be used for mass civilian surveillance and has applied this principle globally for over two decades. This action followed The Guardian's August report revealing the military's use of Microsoft's cloud platform for surveillance, which also sparked protests against Microsoft for its ties to the Israeli government. Despite limits in verifying content stored on private servers, Microsoft's internal review found evidence supporting the allegations without accessing the actual content. The decision led to Microsoft informing the Israeli defense ministry of the cessation and disabling of specific subscriptions and services related to the surveillance activity. Activist groups, including the BDS Movement, have viewed this as a significant victory in calls to boycott Microsoft due to its involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.