Israel was assisted by Microsoft to monitor calls by Palestinians, the UK's Guardian reported on Wednesday. According to an investigative report by the publication with Israeli +972 Magazine and Local Call that includes the director of the Oscar-winning documentary film No Other Land, the IDF holds a massive secret database of calls on Microsoft servers in Europe, mostly in Ireland and the Netherlands.
According to the report, an agreement was reached in a personal meeting of Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Yossi Sariel, who headed the IDF's 8200 unit, granting the military intelligence access to a customized and segregated area within Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform.
IDF targets a building in Gaza
"Armed with Azure’s near-limitless storage capacity, Unit 8200 began building a powerful new mass surveillance tool: a sweeping and intrusive system that collects and stores recordings of millions of mobile phone calls made each day by Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank," the Guardian wrote.
Microsoft said this week it was unaware of any civilian surveillance or phone monitoring allegedly conducted through its services in collaboration with Israel’s intelligence Unit 8200.
Get the Ynetnews app on your smartphone: Google Play: https://bit.ly/4eJ37pE | Apple App Store: https://bit.ly/3ZL7iNv
In a statement, Microsoft said CEO Satya Nadella attended a related meeting “for 10 minutes at the end” and that “no discussion took place” regarding any data the unit intended to transfer to Azure.
The company added that its cooperation with Unit 8200 was solely intended to “strengthen cybersecurity and help defend Israel against cyberattacks from hostile states and terrorist groups.”
The report cites three sources in the intelligence unit who said the cloud-based platform assisted in preparations for lethal airstrikes and the planning of military attacks in Gaza and on the West Bank. The paper also cites intelligence sources who said the unit even requested more stage space after realizing they did not have sufficient storage to contain the conversations of the entire population. According to the article, the aim of the military intelligence unit was to ammas one million calls per hour.
2 View gallery
Yossi Sariel, Unit 8200 headquarters outside Tel Aviv
(Photo: Yariv Katz, Moti Kmichi)
In May, Microsoft acknowledged that it hired an external firm to investigate whether the IDF used its cloud and AI services to harm civilians in Gaza.
The tech giant said there was no evidence Microsoft technologies were used to cause harm to civilians. However, the company's public acknowledgment of the review marks a rare move for the tech giant, which typically avoids commenting on politically sensitive issues.
In response to the Guardian's report, the IDF spokesperson said in a statement that agreements between the military and tech companies are subjected to judicial review and that the IDF operates within the boundaries of international law.