Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) has disabled some services it provides to the Israel Ministry of Defense over allegations the ministry had used Azure to conduct mass surveillance of civilians in Gaza and the West Bank.
“As we publicly announced on August 15, we decided to undertake a review of allegations that appeared in an article published on August 6 by The Guardian about a unit of the Israel Defense Forces,” said Microsoft vice chair and president Brad Smith in a blog post on Thursday. “As we explained at that time, The Guardian article reported that ‘multiple individuals have asserted that the IDF is using Azure for the storage of data files of phone calls obtained through broad or mass surveillance of civilians in Gaza and the West Bank.'”
Smith said Microsoft’s review found evidence that supports some of the allegations related to Azure storage capacity and the use of artificial intelligence services for mass surveillance.
“We therefore have informed IMOD of Microsoft’s decision to cease and disable specified IMOD subscriptions and their services, including their use of specific cloud storage and AI services and technologies,” Smith said. “We have reviewed this decision with IMOD and the steps we are taking to ensure compliance with our terms of service, focused on ensuring our services are not used for mass surveillance of civilians.”
However, Smith said Microsoft will continue to provide cybersecurity services for Israel, and its review of the situation is ongoing.
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