"One million calls per hour": how Israel uses the Microsoft cloud to monitor the Palestinians on a large scale and use the data for military operations

The Israeli Army (IDF), in particular cyber unit 8200, has implemented a large-scale project of mass surveillance of the Palestinians, using the Microsoft Azure cloud platform to store a huge array of phone calls and data from mobile phones. The system began operating in 2022 and allows you to collect and save audio recordings of millions of calls daily from Gaza and the West Bank, creating a huge database of intelligence information. The infrastructure is based on Microsoft data centers in Europe, in particular, in the Netherlands and Ireland.

Cooperation between Microsoft and the IDF began after a meeting in late 2021 between Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and head of the 8200 division Yossi Shariel. A separate isolated segment in Azure with enhanced security has been provided for cyber intelligence. The Noisy message system, created using Microsoft platforms, is able to detect suspicious SMS messages with keywords related to weapons, terrorist attacks, etc.

The data collected in the cloud was used not only for surveillance, but also for the analysis and preparation of military operations, including airstrikes in densely populated areas, where potentially dangerous targets were identified using call analysis, which, according to sources, was supposed to minimize civilian casualties. Sources also reported cases of data being used for blackmail, arrests, and even posthumous justifications for liquidations.

Microsoft representatives claim that the company did not know what specific data was stored in their cloud and that it did not develop or advise the IDF on the surveillance system. The company also stated that they have no evidence of using Azure or AI to target targets or directly cause harm. However, Microsoft employees and investors expressed concern about the company's role in this project, and an internal audit was initiated.

Thus, Israel uses Microsoft cloud technologies for large-scale collection and analysis of telephone data of the Palestinian population for the purpose of intelligence and military activity. This collaboration has become the subject of public and media outcry, given the ethical and legal issues related to mass surveillance, as well as the possible use of data for military operations.