Microsoft under scrutiny for retaining Palestinians' phone calls and text messages on Azure, with Israel as the supportive backdrop
Microsoft's collaboration with Israel's military intelligence agency, Unit 8200, has become a subject of intense debate following revelations that the tech giant has been providing a customized version of its Azure cloud platform for storing and processing vast amounts of intercepted Palestinian communications.
The partnership, which originated from a 2021 meeting between Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Unit 8200's head Yossi Sariel, has been in operation since 2022. This collaboration aims to leverage Microsoft’s near-limitless cloud storage and computing power for Unit 8200’s surveillance needs.
According to reports, Unit 8200 uses this cloud system to support military operations, including planning lethal airstrikes and arrests in Palestinian territories. The scale of data stored is massive, with leaked documents indicating about 11,500 terabytes of Israeli military data—equivalent to roughly 200 million hours of audio—stored across Microsoft Azure servers in the Netherlands, Ireland, and Israel.
However, Microsoft has publicly stated that it found no evidence its technology was used to harm Palestinians and was unaware their services aided civilian surveillance. Yet, several Israeli intelligence sources and investigations contradict this, asserting the cloud infrastructure facilitated targeting Palestinians.
The controversy has led to backlash from pro-Palestine activists, who are urging individuals to boycott Microsoft and its services. The boycott aims to put pressure on Microsoft to stop its partnership with the Israeli military and end the storage of Palestinians' data by Azure cloud service.
Social media users are also expressing concern over potential human rights and privacy violations related to the storage of millions of Palestinians' calls and texts by Microsoft's Azure cloud service. Some social media users are demanding that Microsoft immediately stop providing surveillance tools for potential war crimes against Palestinians.
Reports indicate that Microsoft employees have also protested the company's role, which reportedly led Microsoft to ban the word “Palestine” from company-wide emails and chats.
The partnership is causing concern among pro-Palestine activists due to potential human rights and privacy violations. The ongoing discourse on Microsoft's role in the surveillance program and potential human rights violations is gaining attention on social media platforms.
If Microsoft continues to collaborate with the Israeli military, some users are considering reconsidering contracts with the company. The boycott of Microsoft and its services, initiated by pro-Palestine activists, is gaining traction on social media platforms.
The data centers where the information was stored are located in Europe. The controversy surrounding Microsoft's partnership with Unit 8200 and the use of Azure cloud service in Gaza is a popular topic on social media platforms, particularly among pro-Palestine activists.
Israel reportedly approached Microsoft for assistance due to running out of space on their cloud service. Microsoft viewed the deal as a "lucrative commercial opportunity" and a significant branding moment, anticipating hundreds of millions in revenue.
The investigation into this partnership raised concerns among pro-Palestine activists due to potential human rights and privacy violations. Azure has been reportedly storing the data of Palestinians for three years as of 2025.
Social media users are urging legal action against Microsoft, accusing it of aiding and abetting genocide. The controversy continues to escalate, with pro-Palestine activists urging Microsoft to reconsider its role in the surveillance program and to respect the human rights and privacy of Palestinians.
- The ongoing debates about Microsoft's partnership with Israel's military intelligence agency, Unit 8200, involve discussions on various fronts, including entertainment, news, politics, business, history, opinion, and technology.
- On social media platforms, there's growing concern and discussion about potential human rights and privacy violations associated with Microsoft's Azure cloud service, especially in relation to its storage of Palestinians' data.
- The boycott of Microsoft and its services, triggered by pro-Palestine activists due to concerns over human rights and privacy violations, has gained significant attention and traction within the realms of opinion, technology, and business, both online and offline.
