Microsoft and Israeli Rat

Microsoft has faced ethical criticism for its cooperation with the Israeli military and provision of its Azure cloud platform for widespread surveillance of Palestinians, and has recently restricted some of its services to the regime.

News ID: 86732

Date: 29 September 2025 - 11:49

TEHRAN (Defapress) - In today's world, advanced technologies like artificial intelligence and cloud services play a significant role in military and intelligence operations. Microsoft, as one of the tech giants, has faced ethical criticism for its collaboration with the Israeli military in using the Azure cloud platform for extensive surveillance of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. Recently, the company announced that it is disabling some of its services for a specific unit within the Israeli Ministry of War.

Background of Microsoft's Complicity with Israel

Microsoft's collaboration with the Israeli military began in 2021, precisely when Satya Nadella, the company's CEO, met with Yossi Sariel, then head of the Israeli military's Unit 8200, in Seattle. This meeting led to discussions about storing Israel's sensitive information on the Azure platform. Unit 8200 used this platform to collect and analyze Palestinian communication data, including phone conversations and text messages. Yossi Sariel resigned in September 2024 due to failures in predicting the Hamas attack.

In October 2023, Microsoft provided its AI and cloud services to support the Israeli military's operations to rescue Israeli hostages. However, media reports, including an investigation by The Guardian, +972 Magazine, and Local Call, revealed that these technologies were being used for mass surveillance of Palestinian civilians.

Microsoft's Disavowal of Israel's Crimes in Gaza

On September 25, 2025, Brad Smith, the President of Microsoft, announced that the company was disabling some cloud and AI services, including Azure storage on servers in the Netherlands, for a specific unit within the Israeli Ministry of War. This decision was made following reviews by the law firm Covington & Burling LLP and an anonymous technical consulting firm, which indicated that the Israeli military used these services for mass surveillance of civilians, an action that violates Microsoft's service terms.

This move came after an Associated Press report in May 2025 showed that Unit 8200 had used Microsoft technologies to track and eavesdrop on Palestinians. However, Microsoft at the time claimed it had found no evidence of misuse of its technologies.

Microsoft even emphasized that it had provided advanced AI and cloud services to assist the Zionist regime's military in operations to rescue Israelis captured by Hamas on October 7th. But now, Smith acknowledges that the services provided to this regime are still under review, and immediate restrictions have been imposed to prevent mass surveillance.

However, in recent months, Microsoft has faced internal protests, and several employees were fired or reported to the police for protesting the use of the company's software by the Israeli military against the people of Gaza. In August, four employees were dismissed, and several others resigned in protest.

These employees claimed there was a "very lethal and destructive connection" between Microsoft and the Israeli military that was contributing to the increased devastation and killing in Gaza. Although the company denied these claims, recent investigations caused Microsoft to change its stance.

Azure, Israel's Spy Tool

The Azure platform provides unlimited digital storage and analysis of massive data through AI. Investigations have shown that Unit 8200 has used this platform since 2022 to record and analyze millions of Palestinian conversations and text messages. These systems have helped the Israeli military target individuals in airstrikes and operations in the West Bank.

Anonymous Israeli officials told the Associated Press that this decision has "no impact on the operational capabilities" of the military. Israel has a long history of surveilling Palestinians. According to an Al Jazeera report, the use of CCTV and the "Red Wolf" facial recognition system in the West Bank has had severe physical and psychological effects on Palestinians. Thus, Red Wolf supports Israel's discriminatory policies, such as banning Palestinians from using roads designated for settlers.

Legal experts compare these methods to the Chinese government's surveillance of Uyghurs. Palestinians believe Israel uses them as a laboratory for spy technologies. In 2021, the Israeli company NSO Group was criticized for its use of the "Pegasus" spyware, which was used by governments like Azerbaijan, Bahrain, India, and Saudi Arabia to target dissidents, activists, and journalists.

A Superficial and Symbolic Action

Technology analysts doubt the real impact of Microsoft's decision on Israel's surveillance operations in Gaza and the West Bank. It is unclear how Microsoft ensures that the Israeli military completely lacks access to Azure, AI, or other company products.

Hossam Nasr, a fired Microsoft employee and member of the "No Azure for Apartheid" group, in an interview with the Associated Press, described this action as an "unprecedented victory" but insufficient. He noted that most of Microsoft's contracts with the Israeli military remain intact, and only a small part for one unit has been disabled.

Microsoft's decision to restrict the Israeli military's access to some cloud and AI services seems mostly symbolic and superficial. This move, which only disables a small portion of services like Azure for some military units, appears designed merely to calm public opinion.

Behind the scenes, major contracts and extensive collaboration between Microsoft and the Israeli military remain in place, and these restrictions are a negligible action compared to the vast volume of this cooperation. In a world where technology plays a pivotal role in military and surveillance operations, such superficial actions cannot genuinely address the ethical and human rights challenges.