Israel using Microsoft platform to target Palestinians; Satya Nadellas 2021 meet with spy chief surfaces
A joint investigation by The Guardian and +972 Magazine alleges Microsoft's Azure technology was used by Israel's Unit 8200 for mass surveillance of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.
New Delhi: Is Israel using Microsoft's technology in its war in Gaza? According to a report, that is allegedly the case.
In recent times, several employees of the multinational organisation have accused Microsoft of being in bed with the Israeli military. As per their allegations, the company has helped Israel in its war in Gaza. However, the lack of concrete proof kept the information as merely an accusation.
Is there any solid evidence now?
It is for the reader to decide if the evidence which has come to the surface is good enough to solidify the aforementioned claims. The Guardian and the +972 Magazine have published a report simultaneously. In the report, there are several sources and documents. The report claims that Microsoft Azure powers most of the surveillance machines of Israel, including in Gaza, where the software has helped the military to target people.
How was the software used?
As per the report, an elite Israeli military intelligence unit called Unit 8200 used Microsoft Azure and created a massive and alleged intrusive system to track the phone calls of millions of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. It also stated that discussions regarding this took place between Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Yossi Sariel, the head of Unit 8200, in 2021 at the very least. The report claims that Microsoft and Israel joined hands in what is allegedly a controversial partnership. Notably, Israel is facing genocide charges in the International Court of Justice.
How was the report formed?
The report is based mostly on leaked Microsoft documents and interviews with 11 sources from Microsoft and Israeli military intelligence. While Microsoft has accepted that it has an Azure partnership with the Israeli military, it claims that the technology was not used in Gaza to target Palestinians. In May, the company posted on its blog, "Based on our review, we have found no evidence that Microsoft’s Azure and AI technologies, or any of our other software, have been used to harm people.”
The report explosively claims that Nadella met with Sariel so that Israel could use Azure to create a powerful mass surveillance tool. In 2022, the surveillance system reportedly became operational and targeted Palestinians and their phone calls. As per the report, the data is stored in Azure servers in the Netherlands and Ireland.
As per the report, Microsoft has claimed that neither the company nor its CEO Nadella were aware that Azure was used for the surveillance of civilians. However, the report has unearthed a massive controversy, and it remains to be seen how Microsoft handles this explosive claim in the coming days.