Tell Microsoft to reverse its course and terminate all of Israeli Apartheid’s subscriptions, including for its elite military intelligence division, Unit 8200. This announcement follows recent allegations that the unit was responsible for surveilling Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. This decision comes after recent news reports exposed that Microsoft’s Azure cloud storage was storing sensitive data from people’s phone calls. These calls were acquired through nonconsensual surveillance activities.
The company’s action follows an investigation sparked by a report from The Guardian, which highlighted Microsoft’s potential role in enabling mass surveillance practices. Microsoft has had a long history of standing up for customer privacy rights, arguing that its technology should not be used to enable those kinds of things.
On August 15, Microsoft publicly reiterated its standard terms of service, stating that they prohibit the use of its technology for mass surveillance of civilians. That was a major principle expressed by Brad Smith, the company’s president.
“We do not provide technology to facilitate mass surveillance of civilians.” – Brad Smith
Microsoft values The Guardian’s early reporting on this story. This media coverage led to a public wave of condemnation that forced the company to re-evaluate its participation with Unit 8200 given the increasing backlash. Smith emphasized the importance of customer reporting, which without, the company might not have known about the issue requiring further investigation.
Even with the investigation underway, Microsoft refused to answer on what elements exactly are still under consideration. The situation escalated in August when several employees staged a sit-in at Smith’s office, resulting in a lockdown as they voiced their concerns regarding the company’s collaboration with military intelligence.
Microsoft has long spoken about extending the application of its privacy principles, whatever the country, for over twenty years. In his statement accompanying the release, Smith doubled down on this pledge promising that the company has always fought to protect privacy rights around the world.
“We have applied this principle in every country around the world, and we have insisted on it repeatedly for more than two decades. This is why we explained publicly on August 15 that Microsoft’s standard terms of service prohibit the use of our technology for mass surveillance of civilians.” – Brad Smith
Stakeholders on all sides are watching this closely as it develops. They are clearly watching Microsoft, waiting to see how the company addresses the allegations and respects individuals’ privacy rights. The scrutiny placed on the company highlights a growing concern over the ethical responsibilities of technology firms in relation to military operations and civilian rights.