Microsoft realizes whether Israel is using its cloud to build a Palestinian surveillance system

Over the past two years, Microsoft has been charged by accusations – inside and outside the company – that its technology aims at the efforts of the Israeli war. Microsoft employees I needed The company’s contracts with Israel and the demonstrators Stroke The different company conversations and conferences. Even the fiftieth anniversary of the company was destroyed By shouting One of his employees, who shouted “shame on you” while describing the company’s president of artificial intelligence as “benefiting from the war” that was “using artificial intelligence of genocide.” Now, the company claims that it launched an “urgent” investigation whether Israel is using its cloud work to conduct a huge surveillance in Gaza.

The company’s announcement comes in the wake of a report published by The Guardian, which is what Claims That unit was 8200, the mysterious intelligence agency in Israel, using Microsoft Azure Cloud servers. The report claimed that, as part of a deal with the CEO of Microsoft, Satya Nadella, the spy unit was granted access to “customized The separate area is inside the azure of Microsoft’s cloud platform. “The cloud preparation was ultimately used to build a” sweeping and demonstrated system “designed to collect and store” the records of millions of mobile phone calls that are made every day by the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. “

On Friday, Microsoft The Guardian told: “Microsoft is estimated that Guardian’s recent report raises additional and accurate allegations worth a full and urgent review.” The director wrote that the review of Microsoft’s trading with Israel will be supervised by lawyers at the Covington & Burling.

Gizmodo has reached Microsoft for more information. In a joint statement previously with The Guardian, the company said that if Israel “uses Azure to store data files for phone calls obtained through broad or collective monitoring of civilians in Gaza and the West Bank”, it would violate the conditions of service.

This is the second legal investigation that Microsoft opened in its relationship with the Israeli government. The previous investigation occurred earlier this year, after the protests of its employees. In May, Microsoft issued a report in it Claim He has not found “any evidence so far that Microsoft Azure and AI technologies have been used to target or harm people in the conflict in Gaza.”

Other major technology companies, especially Amazon and Google, have also accused of colluding with Israel’s military efforts. In July, the United Nations Group Release This claimed that Microsoft, Alphabet and Amazon Grant ISRAEL are actually accessing cloud and artificial intelligence techniques, promoting data processing, decision -making, monitoring and analysis capabilities. “