Prominent human rights organizations are demanding "Microsoft" Suspending dealings with Israel
A news report reported, today, Saturday, that prominent human rights organizations sent a letter to Microsoft, asking it to suspend its dealings with the Israeli army and government, noting that the company’s technologies were used in human rights violations in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
A website specializing in legal news content stated that the letter was sent to the company in Last September, but its contents were not revealed until yesterday, Friday.
The website said that the letter, sent by six human rights organizations, stated that the Israeli authorities had harnessed the techniques of mass surveillance and forced extraction of private Palestinian data, to enable, facilitate, and even accelerate other international crimes, including genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes, including These are air strikes that were carried out in a manner that violates the laws of war.
The organizations cited an investigation conducted by the British newspaper The Guardian, the “Local Call” website, and (+972) magazine – the international dialing code for Israel – which reported that Unit 8200 of the Israeli army uses the previously developed (Azure) platform. (Microsoft) to collect, record and store millions of phone calls to Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.
The investigation concluded that Unit 8200, using the cloud storage power of the Azure platform, was able to launch deadly air strikes and formulate strategies in those areas.
It stated Human rights organizations – in their letter – stated that the Israeli authorities used this system, according to reports, to intercept the conversations of ordinary Palestinian citizens, collect information from them, and then violate Palestinian human rights; Including blackmailing people, detaining them, or even justifying their killing.
In response to the investigation, Microsoft announced that it had disabled subscriptions for the Israeli Ministry of Defense, saying that it had disabled “specific cloud storage services and technologies and (artificial intelligence),” and that it was working to “ensure that its services are not used to monitor Civilians en masse.
A Microsoft spokesperson said: “Microsoft was not aware, during this operation, of monitoring civilians or collecting their phone conversations using Microsoft services.” Microsoft confirmed that it “does not have any information” About the type of data that Unit 8200 stores in its cloud, it was also reported that the company insisted that its systems not be used to identify targets for deadly air strikes.
The human rights organizations concluded their letter with seven questions asking Microsoft to conduct investigations and take additional steps, and Microsoft announced that it intends to respond by the end Month.
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