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1h ago

Microsoft Disables Select Azure and AI Services for Israeli Defense Unit After Internal Review

The action follows preliminary findings that align with reports of civilian phone-call surveillance targeting Gaza and the West Bank.

A view shows a Microsoft logo at Microsoft offices in Issy-les-Moulineaux near Paris, France, March 21, 2025. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo
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Overview

  • Microsoft president Brad Smith said the company opened the review after an August report by the Guardian about an Israel Defense Forces unit.
  • The review found evidence supporting elements of the reporting, including IMOD’s use of Azure storage in the Netherlands and certain AI services.
  • Microsoft informed Israel’s defense ministry that it is ceasing and disabling specified IMOD subscriptions covering particular cloud storage and AI technologies.
  • The company stated that it does not provide technology to facilitate mass surveillance of civilians.
  • Cybersecurity services to Israel and other Middle East countries continue unchanged, and Microsoft recently fired four employees over on-site protests related to its ties to Israel.