Microsoft just pulled the plug on Israeli military access to its cloud and AI services after discovering they were being used for mass surveillance of Palestinian civilians. The tech giant's unprecedented move follows explosive reporting that revealed the Israeli government was storing up to "a million calls an hour" on Azure, forcing Microsoft to choose ethics over government contracts.
Microsoft just made one of its most controversial decisions in years. The company is cutting off the Israeli military's access to Azure cloud services and AI tools that were being used to surveil Palestinian civilians on a massive scale. Microsoft President Brad Smith delivered the news in an internal memo Thursday, marking a rare instance of a tech giant severing ties with a government over ethical concerns.
The decision comes after The Guardian's explosive August reporting revealed that Israeli forces were storing recordings of up to "a million calls an hour" made by Palestinians on Microsoft's cloud infrastructure. Smith's memo confirms what many suspected - Microsoft found evidence supporting the surveillance claims.
"While our review is ongoing, we have found evidence that supports elements of The Guardian's reporting," Smith wrote. "We therefore have informed Israel Ministry of Defense (IMOD) of Microsoft's decision to cease and disable specified IMOD subscriptions and their services, including their use of specific cloud storage and AI services and technologies."
The Israeli military didn't wait around for Microsoft's decision. According to The Guardian's latest reporting, they've already moved 8TB of data off Azure - a massive data migration that happened within days of the original surveillance reports surfacing. The military is now reportedly planning to transfer operations to Amazon Web Services, putting pressure on AWS to clarify its own ethical guidelines.
This decision reflects growing tension between Microsoft's corporate values and its government contracts. The company has been under intense pressure from employees through the "No Azure for Apartheid" campaign, which has been disrupting Microsoft events for over a year. The group managed to interrupt executives during Microsoft's 50th anniversary celebration and .
