Microsoft has finalized an investigation into Israel's military use of its Azure cloud platform and is implementing stricter human rights checks. The probe, conducted with law firm Covington & Burling, found evidence supporting parts of the Guardian's reporting, including the Israeli Defense Ministry's use of Azure storage in the Netherlands and AI services. Microsoft announced five key actions, including enhanced reviews for security agency deals and a new anonymous reporting channel called 'Trusted Technology Review.'
The investigation did not examine the contents of military data stored on Azure, relying instead on Microsoft's internal records. The company cited customer privacy as the reason for not accessing the data. Microsoft also acknowledged providing limited emergency assistance to Israel after October 7, 2023, for hostage rescue efforts, though some requests were denied. The report omitted details about staff departures at Microsoft Israel, including the departure of its country chief, Alon Haimovich, and several managers from the governance division.
Microsoft Israel will now be managed directly by Microsoft France. The company investigated whether its Israeli unit was sufficiently transparent with headquarters about how the defense ministry used its systems, fearing potential legal and regulatory risks in Europe. Unlike Google and Amazon, Microsoft is not part of Israel's Nimbus cloud program, though some military use reportedly ran through European servers. Azure was allegedly used as a storage platform for mass surveillance, with leaked documents referencing 11,500 terabytes of Israeli military data on servers in the Netherlands and Ireland.
Source: thedecoder
