Microsoft has initiated an urgent external inquiry into allegations that Israel's military agency, Unit 8200, has misused Microsoft's Azure cloud platform for mass surveillance of Palestinians. This investigation follows a Guardian report revealing that the agency may use Azure to store millions of everyday mobile phone calls from Gaza and the West Bank. Microsoft asserts that such usage would violate its terms of service. The inquiry, overseen by Covington & Burling, expands on a prior review that previously found no evidence of wrongdoing regarding the usage of Azure by the Israeli military, but raised concerns about employee transparency.
The new inquiry will investigate allegations that Israel's military surveillance agency has used Microsoft's technology to facilitate mass surveillance of Palestinians, sparking concerns among Microsoft executives.
Microsoft stated that using Azure for storing data files obtained through mass surveillance of civilians would breach its terms of service, prompting the urgent inquiry.
The review by Covington & Burling aims to expand upon previous investigations after a Guardian report raised questions about how Unit 8200 utilizes Azure technology.
The first inquiry found no evidence of Azure's misuse by the Israeli military, but concerns emerged about transparency from Israel-based Microsoft employees following the recent investigation.
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