Israel’s mass surveillance of Palestinians powered by Microsoft cloud, reveals report

NT Correspondent

London/Bengaluru: In a revelation that has raised serious concerns about privacy and ethical tech use, Microsoft is reported to have provided crucial cloud infrastructure to Israel's military intelligence agency, Unit 8200, enabling expansive surveillance of Palestinians.

The collaboration reportedly began after a late 2021 meeting between Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and then-Unit 8200 chief Yossi Sariel, where Sariel outlined a plan to shift military intelligence to Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform. Soon after, Unit 8200 began using Azure to analyze vast quantities of intercepted phone calls millions per day from Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.

As per The Guardian report, this Azure-powered system, operational since 2022, has enabled Israeli intelligence to build a sweeping archive of daily communications. A cache of leaked Microsoft files and interviews with current and former employees from both Microsoft and the Israeli military revealed that the data stored included raw audio files of mobile phone calls.

The Guardian investigation, conducted with +972 Magazine and Local Call, highlighted how these stored calls were used not only to shape intelligence operations but also to assist in targeting airstrikes in Palestinian areas. Former Unit 8200 officials described the scale of the project with a phrase that became an internal short hand: “A million calls an hour.”

Lacking adequate in-house capacity, Unit 8200 relied on Microsoft’s near-limitless cloud storage to scale its operations. Intelligence officers used these archives not just to track suspects but to retro spectively justify arrests or strikes. Some sources even alleged the system was used to blackmail or detain individuals based on recorded conversations.

Microsoft claims it was unaware of the nature of the data being stored. A spokesperson said the company’s engagement was limited to cyberse curity support and denied involvement in civilian surveillance. However, in ternal records contradict this, showing Nadella supported gradual migration of up to 70% of Unit 8200’s data into Azure, calling it a “critical partnership.”