„Microsoft“ (Microsoft) is no longer providing certain cloud and artificial intelligence services to the Israeli Ministry of Defense, the company's president Brad Smith announced in a publication last night, quoted by DPA, BTA reported.
According to him, the company wants to ensure that „Microsoft“ services cannot be used for mass surveillance of Palestinian civilians.
„We do not provide technologies to facilitate mass surveillance of civilians. We apply this principle in every country in the world and have repeatedly defended it for more than two decades,“ Smith wrote.
The decision comes after the British newspaper. The Guardian published information on August 6, claiming that a branch of the Israeli military was using Microsoft's Azure cloud platform to store phone call data. The publication said the information was collected through mass surveillance of civilians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
Microsoft said at the time that it would investigate the allegations.
Although the investigation is still ongoing, Smith said the company had uncovered "evidence that corroborates some of the elements of the Guardian's information." He added that the use of artificial intelligence services and access to Azure storage capacity in the Netherlands was involved.
Smith also said that Microsoft is “focused on ensuring that our services are not used for mass surveillance of civilians“. The Israeli Defense Ministry has been informed of the decision, he added.