Overview

• Microsoft said it disabled Unit 8200’s access to certain Azure services on Thursday.
• The action followed an internal investigation opened after August reporting by The Guardian, which Microsoft says corroborated parts of the allegations.
• Company president Brad Smith told employees Microsoft does not provide technologies intended to facilitate mass surveillance of civilians.
• Microsoft reviewed the decision with Israel’s Ministry of Defense and examined measures to ensure compliance.
• The Guardian has reported that Israeli intelligence stored intercepted phone data from Palestinians on Azure, with claims of up to one million calls per hour and indications of storage in data centers in the Netherlands and Ireland.