Smith said that Microsoft’s terms of service prohibit the use of its tech for mass surveillance of civilians. He said the company has therefore ceased and disabled certain subscriptions and services it was supplying to Israel’s Defense Ministry, including their use of specific cloud storage, and AI services and technologies.
The Guardian investigation said the storage of Palestinians’ phone records on Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform had facilitated deadly airstrikes and shaped military operations in Gaza and the West Bank.
After a previous internal review in May, Microsoft said there was “no evidence” that its technologies have been used to target or harm people during the conflict in Gaza.
On Thursday, Smith noted that Microsoft has a policy of respecting customer privacy, and that the company does “not access our customers’ content in this type of investigation.”
He expressed “appreciation” for The Guardian report which revealed information that couldn’t be accessed in light of those “customer privacy commitments.”
Microsoft said the decision will not impact its work protecting the cybersecurity of Israel and other countries in the Middle East, including under the Abraham Accords.