Latest news with #IMOD
Al Bawaba
18-05-2025
- Business
- Al Bawaba
Microsoft officially denies involvement of its technology in the Gaza conflict
Published May 18th, 2025 - 01:45 GMT ALBAWABA – Microsoft, the American multinational technology corporation, has officially denied the involvement of its technology in the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Microsoft denies involvement in the Gaza conflict The company stated that no concrete evidence has been found proving that the Israeli military used Microsoft's Azure cloud services or artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to harm Palestinian civilians or anyone else in the Gaza Strip. The official statement came after Microsoft conducted both internal and external reviews in response to pressure and protests from current and former employees. The company stated that no concrete evidence has been found proving that the Israeli military used Microsoft's Azure cloud services or artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. (Shutterstock) 'Microsoft works with countries and customers around the world, including the Israel Ministry of Defense (IMOD). Microsoft provides IMOD with software, professional services, Azure cloud services, and Azure AI services, including language translation. As with many governments around the world, we also work with the Israeli government to protect its national cyberspace against external threats,' the official statement said. Notably, two former employees publicly protested during Microsoft's 50th anniversary celebrations, claiming the company used its technologies to support the genocide in Gaza. Also Read Two engineers fired by Microsoft over AI support to Israel © 2000 - 2025 Al Bawaba (
United News of India
17-05-2025
- Business
- United News of India
Microsoft denies misuse of AI, Azure in Gaza conflict
Washington, May 17 (UNI) Responding to growing concerns among employees and the public, Microsoft Corporation has stated that it found no evidence its Azure cloud or artificial intelligence technologies were used by the Israeli military to target civilians or cause harm in the ongoing conflict in Gaza. In a statement released after an internal review and an external fact-finding process, the tech giant said it had interviewed dozens of employees and assessed relevant documents, concluding that none of its technologies were used to inflict harm during the hostilities. "Microsoft works with countries and customers around the world, including the Israel Ministry of Defense (IMOD), under a standard commercial relationship," the company said, adding that the terms of its services are governed by a strict Acceptable Use Policy and AI Code of Conduct. These guidelines prohibit the use of its cloud and AI services in any manner that inflicts harm or contravenes legal standards. The company clarified that its services to the IMOD include software, professional support, Azure cloud services, and AI-powered language translation tools. It emphasised that Microsoft has not provided any bespoke surveillance or operational software typically used in military applications. "We do not have visibility into how customers use our software on their own premises or servers, nor do we have access to IMOD's government cloud operations, which are supported through contracts with providers other than Microsoft,' the company noted. Microsoft acknowledged that it had extended limited emergency support to the Israeli government in the aftermath of the October 7, 2023 attacks to assist in hostage rescue efforts. "This help was provided with significant oversight, and not all requests were approved," it said. Underscoring its broader commitment, Microsoft reaffirmed its support for cybersecurity in Israel and humanitarian assistance across both Israel and Gaza. "Our work is informed and governed by our Human Rights Commitments. Based on everything we currently know, we believe Microsoft has abided by these commitments in Israel and Gaza," the company stated. UNI BDN RN
Mint
17-05-2025
- Business
- Mint
Microsoft admits it sold Israel AI technology during Hamas war: ‘No evidence Azure was used to harm people'
Microsoft on Thursday admitted that it provided the Israeli military with advanced artificial intelligence and cloud computing services during its war with Gaza but stressed that it was not used to harm people. The US tech giant in a statement issued on May 15 said conducted an internal review and engaged an external firm to assess reports that its technology was used to cause harm in Gaza. The statement further noted that it aided in efforts to locate and rescue Israeli hostages. 'Microsoft provides IMOD with software, professional services, Azure cloud services, and Azure AI services, including language translation. As with many governments around the world, we also work with the Israeli government to protect its national cyberspace against external threats,' Microsoft said. Thursday's statement is probably Microsoft's first acknowledgement of its involvement in the war, that started after 1,200 Israelis were killed by Hamas and resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of people in Gaza so far. It comes nearly three months after The Associated Press revealed previously unreported details about the American tech giant's close partnership with the Israeli Ministry of Defense, with military use of commercial AI products skyrocketing by nearly 200 times after the deadly Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack. Acknowledging its involvement in the war, Microsoft said its relationship with the Israeli military 'is structured as a standard commercial relationship' where the customer is bound by all its policies. 'Based on our review, including both our internal assessments and external review, we have found no evidence that Microsoft's Azure and AI technologies, or any of our other software, have been used to harm people or that IMOD has failed to comply with our terms of service or our AI Code of Conduct,' it said. However, Microsoft further admitted that it 'occasionally' provides special access to its technologies to its customers beyond the terms of agreement. Microsoft provided limited emergency support to the Israeli government in the weeks following the Hamas attack in 2023 to locate hostages, it said. The company did not directly address several questions about precisely how the Israeli military is using its technologies Microsoft does not have visibility into how customers use our software on their own servers or other devices, it said.
Time of India
17-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Microsoft has message for employees it fired over pro-Palestine protests and everyone else
Microsoft has announced that both internal and external reviews found no evidence that its Azure cloud or AI technologies have been used by the Israeli military to cause harm to Palestinian civilians or others in Gaza. The statement comes amid ongoing scrutiny over the company's ties to Israel, and just weeks after Microsoft fired two employees — including one of Indian origin — who staged a pro-Palestinian protest during the company's 50th anniversary celebrations. Reports suggest that in recent months, there have also been repeated calls from within the company for Microsoft to sever its contracts with the Israeli government, citing ethical concerns about how its technology might be used in the ongoing conflict. Israel-Gaza war: What Microsoft said in its report The software giant explained that its relationship with the Israel Ministry of Defense (IMOD) is a "standard commercial relationship." Following the reviews, Microsoft reported that it has "found no evidence that Microsoft's Azure and AI technologies, or any of our other software, have been used to harm people or that IMOD has failed to comply with our terms of service or our AI Code of Conduct." by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Ative o software antivírus do seu computador Clique aqui Undo The company's AI code of conduct mandates human oversight and access controls to prevent its services from causing harm in violation of the law. "We do occasionally provide special access to our technologies beyond the terms of our commercial agreements. In addition to the commercial relationship with the IMOD, Microsoft provided limited emergency support to the Israeli government in the weeks following October 7, 2023, to help rescue hostages. We provided this help with significant oversight and on a limited basis, including approval of some requests and denial of others," the company said. Microsoft detailed that the review process involved "interviewing dozens of employees and assessing documents" to identify any indication that its technologies were being used to target or harm individuals in Gaza. However, the company acknowledged a limitation, noting that it "does not have visibility into how customers use our software on their own servers or other devices," thus restricting the scope of their findings.
The Verge
16-05-2025
- Business
- The Verge
Microsoft says its Azure and AI tech hasn't harmed people in Gaza
Microsoft says it has found no evidence that the Israeli military has used its Azure and AI technology to harm Palestinian civilians or anyone else in Gaza. The software maker says it has 'conducted an internal review and engaged an external firm,' to perform a review, after some Microsoft employees have repeatedly called on the company to cut its contracts with the Israeli government. Microsoft says that its relationship with the Israel Ministry of Defense (IMOD) is 'structured as a standard commercial relationship,' and that it has 'found no evidence that Microsoft's Azure and AI technologies, or any of our other software, have been used to harm people or that IMOD has failed to comply with our terms of service or our AI Code of Conduct.' Microsoft's AI code of conduct requires that customers use human oversight and access controls to ensure cloud and AI services don't inflict harm 'in any way that is prohibited by law.' The review process included ''interviewing dozens of employees and assessing documents,' looking for evidence that Microsoft technologies were being used to target or harm anyone in Gaza. However, the company notes that it 'does not have visibility into how customers use our software on their own servers or other devices,' so the evidence to inform its review is clearly very limited in scope. The review comes just weeks after two former Microsoft employees disrupted the company's 50th-anniversary event, with one calling Microsoft's AI CEO, Mustafa Suleyman, a 'war profiteer' and demanding that Microsoft 'stop using AI for genocide in our region.' A second protester interrupted Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, former CEO Steve Ballmer, and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella later on in the event. Both former Microsoft employees also sent separate emails to thousands of coworkers, protesting the company providing software, cloud services, and consulting services to the Israeli military. The first protester, Ibtihal Aboussad, was fired, and the second, Vaniya Agrawal, was dismissed shortly after putting in her two weeks' notice. Both are associated with No Azure for Apartheid, a group of current and former Microsoft employees rallying against Microsoft's contracts with Israel. The group accuses Microsoft of 'supporting and enabling an apartheid state,' by not suspending sales of cloud and AI services to Israel, like it did to Russia when it invaded Ukraine. It has also highlighted reports from The Guardian and the Associated Press, based on leaked documents, that detail the Israeli military's increased use of Azure and OpenAI technology to gather information through mass surveillance and use AI tools to transcribe and translate phone calls, texts, and audio messages. Microsoft also reportedly supplied 19,000 hours of engineering support and consultancy services to the Israeli military, in a deal that's said to be valued at around $10 million. 'It is worth noting that militaries typically use their own proprietary software or applications from defense-related providers for the types of surveillance and operations that have been the subject of our employees' questions,' says Microsoft in its blog post. 'Microsoft has not created or provided such software or solutions to the IMOD.' Hossam Nasr, an organizer of No Azure for Apartheid, has taken issue with Microsoft's statement, saying it's 'filled with both lies and contradictions' in an interview with GeekWire. 'There is no form of selling technology to an army that is plausibly accused of genocide — whose leaders are wanted for war crimes and crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court — that would be ethical,' says Nasr. 'That's the premise that we reject.' Nasr also highlighted that Microsoft's statement mentions Israel multiple times, but 'not once did they name Palestinians or Palestinian people or Palestine' in the blog post. 'I think that still speaks to where Microsoft's business interests truly lie.'
