Microsoft is examining how Unit 8200, the Israeli military surveillance unit, utilizes the Azure Cloud Storage platform.
Top executives are quickly assessing the data that Unit 8200 stores on Azure following a Guardian investigation that disclosed how intelligence agencies can amass extensive records of intercepted Palestinian mobile communications through cloud services.
Collaborative inquiries with Israeli and Palestinian media outlets, including +972 Magazine and the Hebrew publication Local Call, found that Unit 8200 employs a specialized area within Azure that archives millions of daily calls from Gaza and the West Bank.
Sources linked to the investigation indicate that vast amounts of data from this cloud-based repository are being leveraged to pinpoint and identify bombing targets in Gaza.
The report, released on Wednesday, raised alarms among Microsoft’s leadership regarding whether some employees in Israel fully disclose their knowledge of Unit 8200’s use of Azure, according to insiders.
Insiders reveal that internal efforts are currently ongoing to evaluate the type of data stored in Microsoft’s data centers, alongside reconsiderations of how this information is utilized by Israeli forces in the ongoing conflict with Gaza.
In May, Microsoft acknowledged that a review of its military ties with the U.S. found that Azure “was used to target or harm people” in Gaza, with “no prior evidence” of this use existing. These findings reportedly relied partially on the assurances provided by Israeli staff.
However, some senior executives at the company’s U.S. headquarters have recently started to doubt the accuracy of the information provided by certain Israeli employees managing their military relationships.
A source familiar with internal discussions noted that management struggled to verify some of the claims from Israeli staff, questioning whether employees felt they were beholden to their military rather than their employer.
Using leaked documents, the Guardian discovered multiple employees associated with managing the Unit 8200 project, identifying them as reservists for the elite wiretapping unit, akin to the U.S. National Security Agency.
Despite the concerns raised by recent executives, Microsoft has yet to initiate official reviews of its collaborations with the Israeli military from earlier this year, which were spurred by reports highlighting the military’s reliance on Microsoft technology during attacks in Gaza.
A Microsoft spokesperson stated, “As indicated in a prior independent investigation, the company takes these allegations seriously. Upon receiving new information, we are committed to verifying it and taking appropriate actions.”
According to documents reviewed by the Guardian, Microsoft executives are aware of plans to transition a substantial amount of sensitive, classified intelligence data to Azure as the company collaborates with the unit to implement advanced security measures in its cloud services.
Nevertheless, the company claims that executives are not aware that Azure is utilized by Unit 8200 to retain the information from intercepted Palestinian communications. “There is no information concerning the data stored within a customer’s cloud environment,” the spokesperson remarked earlier this week.
In a statement following the investigation, a spokesperson for the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) remarked, “We value Microsoft’s support in securing cybersecurity. Microsoft ensures that it is not an IDF partner in data storage or processing and does not collaborate with us.”
Several sources within Microsoft have indicated that the IDF’s statement surprised the company’s leadership, as it is not a secret that they provide cloud storage to the military under a contract with the Israeli Ministry of Defense.
After the disclosure regarding its reliance on Microsoft, a worker-led organization, called Apartheid Azure, issued a series of demands, including an appeal for the company to sever all publicly known ties with the Israeli military.
NOAA organizer Abdo Mohamed, who was terminated from the company last year, stated that Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and other executives have maintained that “when entering this partnership in 2021, the company did not anticipate benefiting from the suffering of the Palestinian people.”
Source: www.theguardian.com
