Microsoft Accused Of Enabling Israeli Military Surveillance Through Cloud Services In Europe
Tech giant accused of mishandling data under GDPR rules.
Microsoft is facing a formal complaint in the European Union over allegations that it unlawfully stored personal data on Palestinians, which was reportedly used for Israeli military surveillance. The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC), the EU’s lead regulator for Microsoft, confirmed that it has received the complaint and is currently assessing the matter.
The complaint was filed by non-profit organisation Eko, which claims the tech giant violated Europe’s data protection laws by enabling surveillance and targeting by the Israeli military. According to Eko, the alleged unlawful processing involved both Palestinian and EU citizen data, raising serious legal and ethical concerns under the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Reports suggest that the Israeli Defense Forces used Microsoft’s cloud service Azure to store data from phone calls collected through broad surveillance of civilians in Gaza and the West Bank. After media scrutiny, Microsoft reportedly cut the Israeli military’s access to some cloud services in September, though new whistleblower evidence claims the company offloaded large volumes of the data following the investigation.
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Microsoft responded by stating that its customers own their data and that the transfer of information in August was a decision made by the customer, not the company. The spokesperson added that these actions did not obstruct Microsoft’s internal investigation into the matter, maintaining that the company operates within its contractual obligations.
The EU complaint raises broader questions about compliance with GDPR, which seeks to protect personal data from misuse or breach across Europe. With servers located in Ireland and the Netherlands, Microsoft’s handling of sensitive data has drawn scrutiny from regulators, and the ongoing investigation could have significant legal implications for the company in the European market.
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