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Microsoft cuts Israeli military's access to some cloud computing, AI
The Island
|September 27, 2025
Microsoft said the Israeli military's use of Azure to store data obtained through mass surveillance of Palestinians violated its terms of service
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(AI Jazeera) United States tech giant Microsoft has cancelled some services it provides to the Israeli military over concerns it is violating its terms of service by using the firm's cloud computing software to spy on millions of Palestinians, the company's Vice Chair and President, Brad Smith, confirmed.
Smith wrote in a Thursday blog post that the company had "ceased and disabled a set of services" to a unit within the Israeli Ministry of Defence in response to an August 6 joint investigation by The Guardian newspaper, +972 Magazine, and Hebrew-language outlet Local Call.
The report alleged that the Israeli military's Unit 8200 used Microsoft's Azure cloud computing platform to store phone call data obtained through mass surveillance in war-torn Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
Unit 8200 is the Israeli military's elite cyber warfare unit responsible for clandestine operations, including collecting signal intelligence and surveillance.
This story is from the September 27, 2025 edition of The Island.
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