Microsoft has cut off some services to a unit in Israel’s Defense Ministry after investigating allegations that it was using Microsoft cloud products for the mass surveillance of Palestinians.
In a blog post published Thursday, Microsoft President Brad Smith said the move came after reviewing an Aug. 6 report from The Guardian that said an Israel Defense Forces intelligence unit had used the company’s Azure storage service to collect and store recordings of Palestinian civilians’ phone calls.
Azure is Microsoft’s primary cloud-computing service, with millions of monthly active users around the globe. However, the Guardian — citing interviews with 11 sources, including at Microsoft and among Israeli intelligence officials — alleged that the unit had access to “a customised and segregated area” within Azure’s cloud platform.
Smith did not directly corroborate that assertion but said the company’s review had found evidence that “supports elements of the Guardian’s reporting,” including the use of Azure storage capacity in the Netherlands and of certain artificial intelligence services. Smith did not provide additional details.
Microsoft has since informed Israel’s Defense Ministry, which oversees the IDF and its intelligence units, that it was disabling the unit’s ability to use parts of Azure’s cloud storage service. Microsoft did not name