Head of Microsoft’s Israel branch to step down after inquiry into dealings with Israeli military
Summary
The head of Microsoft’s branch in Israel, Alon Haimovich, will leave his job after a review of the company’s deals with the Israeli military. The review found that the military used Microsoft’s cloud services for mass surveillance of Palestinian phone calls, which violated Microsoft’s rules.Key Facts
- Microsoft launched an investigation after reports that the Israeli military used its technology to collect Palestinian phone calls on a large scale.
- The military’s Unit 8200 used Microsoft Azure cloud to store and analyze millions of calls from Gaza and the West Bank.
- Microsoft’s rules forbid using its technology for mass surveillance of civilians.
- After the review, Microsoft cut off Unit 8200’s access to cloud services and AI tools.
- Microsoft Israel’s general manager, Alon Haimovich, played a role in building the partnership with Unit 8200 and is now stepping down.
- Several other managers at Microsoft Israel also left their positions amid the controversy.
- Microsoft’s top leaders, including CEO Satya Nadella, were reportedly unaware of how Unit 8200 used Azure.
- Legal experts helped with the investigation, which also looked into whether Israeli staff were fully open about the military’s use of Microsoft technology.
Read the Full Article
This is a fact-based summary from The Actual News. Click below to read the complete story directly from the original source.