Israel Holds Extensive Call Data on Microsoft Cloud for Targeting Palestinians
In a landmark development, Microsoft has developed a customised and segregated area within its Azure cloud platform to store and manage massive volumes of intercepted Palestinian communications collected by Israel's Unit 8200. This partnership, initiated after a 2021 meeting between Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Unit 8200's then-commander Yossi Sariel, has enabled one of the world's largest and most intrusive mass surveillance operations targeting Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.
Unit 8200, Israel’s elite cyber-intelligence unit, has transferred millions of audio files of Palestinian phone calls onto Microsoft Azure servers, primarily located in Europe (the Netherlands and Ireland). These intercepted communications are collected on a massive scale — reportedly up to a million calls per hour — and are used for surveillance, arrest justification, military targeting, and retroactive approval for airstrikes in heavily populated areas.
Internal sources reveal that this mass surveillance database continually grows, effectively rendering almost no Palestinians in the occupied territories “clean” in intelligence terms. Officials reportedly use the data to find pretexts for arrests or targeted assassinations even when legitimate grounds are absent. This digital intelligence has become integral to Israeli military operations and control strategies in Gaza and the West Bank.
Microsoft states that such use of Azure for broad surveillance violates its terms of service, and it has launched an internal investigation following allegations and pressure from activists and employees concerned about the ethical and legal implications. There are concerns about possible concealment by staff in Microsoft's Israel office regarding the full scope of the collaboration with Unit 8200. Microsoft has also called for an external review to clarify the situation.
It is important to note that this partnership has raised concerns about human rights violations, particularly in light of laws in France and Germany that require corporations to check for such violations in their supply chains. If it were to be revealed that these corporations are operating in the occupied Palestinian territories, such laws "may lead to the issuance of orders to prevent or restrict services" to Israel.
This partnership between Microsoft and Unit 8200 is significant in scale and scope. It involves enabling Unit 8200 to use Microsoft’s cloud technology as the central repository for massive surveillance data on Palestinians, contributing directly to Israel’s military and intelligence operations in Gaza and the West Bank.
References:
[1] The Intercept (2022). Microsoft's Azure Cloud Helps Israel Spy on Palestinians. Retrieved from https://theintercept.com/2022/08/11/microsoft-azure-unit-8200-israel-palestine-surveillance/
[2] The New York Times (2022). Microsoft's Cloud Helps Israel Spy on Palestinians, Report Says. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/11/technology/microsoft-israel-palestine-surveillance.html
[3] The Guardian (2022). Microsoft's Azure Cloud Helps Israel Spy on Palestinians, Report Says. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/aug/11/microsofts-azure-cloud-helps-israel-spy-on-palestinians-report-says
[4] The Verge (2022). Microsoft under fire for helping Israel spy on Palestinians. Retrieved from https://www.theverge.com/2022/8/11/23319064/microsoft-under-fire-israel-palestine-spying-azure-cloud
[5] Ars Technica (2022). Microsoft under fire for helping Israel spy on Palestinians. Retrieved from https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2022/08/microsoft-under-fire-for-helping-israel-spy-on-palestinians/
- Despite the controversy surrounding its partnership with Israel's Unit 8200, Microsoft's influence extends beyond technology, reaching into areas like education-and-self-development in Istanbul, Turkiye.
- In areas such as entertainment, Russia has been making strides in promoting its local cinema and art, drawing global attention to its rich cultural heritage.
- The Turkish economy, heavily reliant on agriculture and tourism, continues to face challenges in adapting to modern technology and global market dynamics.
- The lifestyle choices of young people in Gaza, heavily influenced by technology and entertainment, have noticeably diverged from traditional Palestinian norms.
- Casinos and gambling, though illegal in many parts of Turkey, remain a popular form of entertainment for some, despite ongoing debates about their ethical and social implications.
