Fri Sep 26 04:37:31 UTC 2025: ## Summary:
Microsoft has partially cut off services to a unit within the Israeli Ministry of Defence after an investigation revealed the Israeli military’s Unit 8200 was using Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform for mass surveillance of Palestinians. This included storing and analyzing phone call data, potentially aiding in targeting decisions. Microsoft stated this violated its terms of service, which prohibit the use of its technology for mass surveillance and protects customer privacy. While a review is ongoing and Microsoft claims it found no evidence of direct harm, this action follows earlier reports of increased Microsoft usage by the Israeli military during the Gaza war and protests from Microsoft employees.
## News Article:
**Microsoft Halts Services to Israeli Military Unit Over Palestinian Surveillance Concerns**
**Redmond, WA** – Microsoft has confirmed it has severed services to a specific unit within the Israeli Ministry of Defence after an investigation revealed potential misuse of its Azure cloud computing platform for the mass surveillance of Palestinians. The move comes in response to a joint report by The Guardian, +972 Magazine, and Local Call, alleging that Unit 8200, the Israeli military’s elite cyber warfare unit, was using Azure to store and analyze vast quantities of data obtained from Palestinian phone calls in Gaza and the West Bank.
Brad Smith, Microsoft’s vice chair and president, stated in a blog post that the company had “ceased and disabled a set of services” after concluding the unit’s data storage practices violated Microsoft’s terms of service. “We do not provide technology to facilitate mass surveillance of civilians,” Smith emphasized, adding that the company respects the privacy rights of its customers.
The report detailed how Unit 8200, following a 2021 agreement with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, utilized Azure’s storage capacity and computing power to analyze phone calls, potentially informing military operations and air strikes. The data was reportedly stored on Microsoft servers in the Netherlands and Ireland.
While Microsoft did not specify which Israeli unit was affected, they confirmed that some Defence Ministry subscriptions, including “specific cloud storage and AI services and technologies,” had been cancelled.
This decision follows earlier reports of a surge in Israeli military usage of Microsoft products after the October 7 attacks and subsequent conflict in Gaza. Microsoft acknowledged selling AI and cloud computing services to the Israeli military, but initially claimed it found “no evidence” of Azure being used to harm people.
The ongoing review, conducted by an external law firm, has uncovered enough evidence to warrant the partial service cut-off.
Hossam Nasr, a former Microsoft employee who was fired for protesting the company’s involvement in the Gaza war, hailed the move as a “win,” but cautioned that it represents only a small fraction of Microsoft’s overall contract with the Israeli military. “Microsoft has only disabled a small subset of services to only one unit,” Nasr noted.
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