Microsoft investigates Israeli Military Cloud Use Amid Allegations of Targeting in Gaza

Amid controversy surrounding the tech giant's military connections, Microsoft is looking into allegations that Israeli Unit 8200 concealed private information on Azure.

Microsoft is looking into how Unit 8200, Israel's military intelligence unit, utilizes its Azure cloud platform because of worries that Israeli employees could have concealed important information regarding the agency's delicate projects. According to a Guardian-led investigation, Unit 8200 uses the information to pinpoint bombing targets in Gaza by storing millions of intercepted Palestinian phone conversations in a separate Azure area.

Executives at Microsoft are now closely examining the data stored in their cloud and raising concerns about the openness of the Israeli staff handling the military partnership. Microsoft's investigation earlier this year found no proof that Azure was used to do harm to individuals in Gaza, in part because of promises from Israeli employees. But lately, questions have been raised over the veracity of information given by certain staff members, some of whom have publicly identified as Unit 8200 reservists.

Microsoft has pledged to verify additional material as it becomes available and says that it is unaware of the precise data kept in client environments. The Israeli Defense Forces, meanwhile, denied collaborating with Microsoft on data processing or storage. The activist organization No Azure for Apartheid accuses Microsoft's leadership of making money off of Palestinian misery and calls for the firm to cut off all links with the Israeli military.