How Israel used Microsoft technology to spy on Palestinians
The Guardian's Harry Davies tells Nosheen Iqbal about an investigation he carried out with Yuval Abraham, the Israeli-Palestinian publication +972 magazine and the Hebrew-language outlet Local Call. It found Sariel had a plan to transfer large amounts of Unit 8200's data, including top-secret information, into Microsoft's cloud platform, which is called Azure. Having this much data storage would allow Sariel to fulfil his plans to carry out mass surveillance on Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.
Microsoft says it did not know what it was storing and that there is no evidence linking its technologies to the targeting or harm of civilians. But what exactly did Microsoft agreed to … and how might that data be used to target Palestinians?
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If you don't already have the Guardian app, download it (iOS/Android) and go to the menu. Select 'Secure Messaging'. To send a message to Harry and Yuval please choose the 'UK Investigations' team. Signal Messenger You can message Harry using the Signal Messenger app. Use the 'find by username' option and type hfd.32 Email (not secure) If you don't need a high level of security or confidentiality you can email SecureDrop and other secure methods If you can safely use the tor network without being observed or monitored you can send messages and documents to the Guardian via our SecureDrop platform. Finally, our guide at lists several ways to contact us securely, and discusses the pros and cons of each. According to leaked files reviewed by the Guardian, the company was aware as early as late 2021 that Unit 8200 planned to move large volumes of sensitive and classified intelligence data into Azure. 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