Mass surveillance in Gaza: Microsoft stops services for Israeli military unit

Microsoft has decided to block certain services for an Israeli military unit. According to Reuters , the Israeli army allegedly used Microsoft's Azure cloud platform and artificial intelligence to massively monitor phone calls and messages from Palestinians . This data was allegedly used for targeted attacks, among other things.

Microsoft stated that an internal review had identified violations of its terms of service. "We do not provide technology to enable mass surveillance of civilians," emphasized Microsoft President Brad Smith.

Microsoft's decision to block certain services for an Israeli military unit was welcomed by pro-Palestinian groups such as No Azure for Apartheid, according to the AP . At the same time, activists criticized the fact that only a small portion of the services were disabled, while most contracts with the Israeli military remain in place.

Hossam Nasr, a former Microsoft employee who was fired for protesting, called the move an “important step” but called for a complete end to the collaboration.

In recent months, there have been increasing protests against Microsoft's cooperation with Israel . Several employees were fired after participating in demonstrations, including a sit-in at Microsoft President Brad Smith's office. The company cited violations of internal policies and security concerns as reasons for the dismissals.