Latest news with #militarysurveillance
The Guardian
09-08-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Six killed and dozens wounded by Israeli army while collecting aid, says Gaza civil defence – Middle East crisis live
Update: Date: 2025-08-09T09:50:50.000Z Title: Content: Microsoft is investigating how Israel's military surveillance agency, Unit 8200, is using its Azure cloud storage platform, amid concerns the company's staff in Israel may have concealed key details about its work on sensitive military projects. Senior executives are scrambling to assess what data Unit 8200 holds in Azure after a Guardian investigation revealed how the spy agency has used the cloud platform to store a vast collection of intercepted Palestinian mobile phone calls. The joint investigation with the Israeli-Palestinian publication +972 Magazine and Hebrew-language outlet Local Call found Unit 8200 has used a customised and segregated area within Azure to store recordings of millions of calls made each day in Gaza and the West Bank. There are concerns that the tech company's Israel-based staff may have concealed key details of work, read the full piece here: Update: Date: 2025-08-09T09:43:31.000Z Title: Content: Gaza's civil defence agency said at least 10 people were killed across the Palestinian territory on Saturday, including civilians who were waiting to collect aid. Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that at least six people were killed and 30 wounded after Israeli troops targeted civilians assembling near an aid point in central Gaza. It comes after, early Friday, the Israeli security cabinet approved plans to launch major operations to seize Gaza City, triggering a wave of outrage across the globe. Despite the backlash and rumours of dissent from Israeli military top brass, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remained defiant over the decision. In a post on social media late Friday, Netanyahu said 'we are not going to occupy Gaza - we are going to free Gaza from Hamas'. Netanyahu faces mounting pressure to secure a ceasefire to bring the territory's more than two million people back from the brink of famine and free the hostages held by Palestinian militants. Meanwhile: The worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza and Israel's plans to expand military control over the enclave have pushed Germany to curb arms exports to Israel, a historically fraught step for Berlin driven by a growing public outcry. Conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz, hitherto a staunchly pro-Israel leader, made the announcement on Friday arguing that Israel's actions would not achieve its stated war goals of eliminating Hamas militants or bringing Israeli hostages home. The UN Security Council announced an emergency meeting on Israel's plans was rescheduled to 10am EDT on Sunday (3pm BST) after originally being scheduled to take place at 3pm EDT (8pm BST) on Saturday. The UN Mission of Panama, which holds the council presidency this month, provided no details, but Saturday is the Jewish Sabbath and Israel is certain to want to speak at the meeting. The efforts for a new ceasefire have the backing of major Arab Gulf monarchies, according to two officials who spoke to AP anonymously due to the sensitivity of the discussions. One is involved directly in the deliberations and the second was briefed on the efforts. The monarchies are concerned about further regional destabilization if Israel fully reoccupies Gaza, the officials said. A senior Hamas official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to brief the media, said the group has yet to receive details on the latest efforts to revive ceasefire talks.
The Guardian
09-08-2025
- The Guardian
Microsoft investigates Israeli military's use of Azure cloud storage
Microsoft is investigating how Israel's military surveillance agency, Unit 8200, is using its Azure cloud storage platform, amid concerns the company's staff in Israel may have concealed key details about its work on sensitive military projects. Senior executives are scrambling to assess what data Unit 8200 holds in Azure after a Guardian investigation revealed how the spy agency has used the cloud platform to store a vast collection of intercepted Palestinian mobile phone calls. The joint investigation with the Israeli-Palestinian publication +972 Magazine and Hebrew-language outlet Local Call found Unit 8200 has used a customised and segregated area within Azure to store recordings of millions of calls made each day in Gaza and the West Bank. According to Unit 8200 sources interviewed as part of the investigation, intelligence drawn from the enormous repository of phone calls held in the cloud has been used to research and identify bombing targets in Gaza. Published on Wednesday, the report has sparked concerns among Microsoft's leadership about whether some of its Israel-based employees have been fully transparent about their knowledge of how Unit 8200 uses Azure, sources familiar with the situation said. According to the sources, an internal effort is now under way to determine the nature of the information being housed in Microsoft's datacentres and re-examine how it is being used by the Israeli military in its war on Gaza. In May, Microsoft said a review into its relationship with the military found 'no evidence to date' that Azure had been 'used to target or harm people' in Gaza. The review's findings are understood to have relied in part on assurances the company received from Israel-based staff. However, in recent days some senior executives at the company's US headquarters have raised doubts about the veracity of the information received from some of the employees in Israel who manage the company's relationship with the military. One of the sources familiar with internal conversations said executives had been unable to verify some of the information provided by staff in Israel, and had questioned whether employees may have felt more bound to their country's military rather than to their employer. Using leaked Microsoft documents, the Guardian has identified several employees involved in managing projects with Unit 8200 who have previously shared online that they have served in or are reservists of the elite eavesdropping unit, which is equivalent in its remit to the US National Security Agency. Despite concerns raised by executives in recent days, the company has not yet launched the kind of formal review it conducted earlier this year into its work with the Israeli military. The review was prompted by reporting by the Guardian and others about Israel's reliance on Microsoft technology during its Gaza offensive. A Microsoft spokesperson said the company 'takes these allegations seriously, as shown by our previous independent investigation. As we receive new information, we're committed to making sure we have a chance to validate any new data and take any needed action.' According to the leaked files reviewed by the Guardian, Microsoft – including senior executives – was aware Unit 8200 planned to move large volumes of sensitive and classified intelligence data into Azure as the company began working with the unit in 2021 to add advanced security measures within the cloud platform. However, the company has insisted its executives were not aware Azure was being used by Unit 8200 to store the content of intercepted Palestinian calls. 'We have no information related to the data stored in the customer's cloud environment,' a spokesperson said earlier this week. In a statement issued by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) after publication of the investigation, a spokesperson said: 'We appreciate Microsoft's support to protect our cybersecurity. We confirm that Microsoft is not and has not been working with the IDF on the storage or processing of data.' Several Microsoft sources said the IDF's statement was viewed with surprise by the company's leadership since it is not a secret it provides cloud storage to the military under contracts with Israel's defence ministry. Following the revelations about Unit 8200's reliance on Microsoft, a worker-led group, No Azure for Apartheid (Noaa), issued a series of demands, including that the company cut off and 'make all ties to the Israeli military publicly known'. Abdo Mohamed, an organizer with Noaa, who was fired by the company last year, said Microsoft's chief executive, Satya Nadella, and other executives 'claim they are unaware of how their company colluded with the Israeli regime to profit from Palestinian suffering while being the very ones who committed Microsoft to this partnership in 2021'.
The Guardian
09-08-2025
- The Guardian
Microsoft investigates Israeli military's use of Azure cloud storage
Microsoft is investigating how Israel's military surveillance agency, Unit 8200, is using its Azure cloud storage platform, amid concerns the company's staff in Israel may have concealed key details about its work on sensitive military projects. Senior executives are scrambling to assess what data Unit 8200 holds in Azure after a Guardian investigation revealed how the spy agency has used the cloud platform to store a vast collection of intercepted Palestinian mobile phone calls. The joint investigation with the Israeli-Palestinian publication +972 Magazine and Hebrew-language outlet Local Call found Unit 8200 has used a customised and segregated area within Azure to store recordings of millions of calls made each day in Gaza and the West Bank. According to Unit 8200 sources interviewed as part of the investigation, intelligence drawn from the enormous repository of phone calls held in the cloud has been used to research and identify bombing targets in Gaza. Published on Wednesday, the report has sparked concerns among Microsoft's leadership about whether some of its Israel-based employees have been fully transparent about their knowledge of how Unit 8200 uses Azure, sources familiar with the situation said. According to the sources, an internal effort is now under way to determine the nature of the information being housed in Microsoft's datacentres and re-examine how it is being used by the Israeli military in its war on Gaza. In May, Microsoft said a review into its relationship with the military found 'no evidence to date' that Azure had been 'used to target or harm people' in Gaza. The review's findings are understood to have relied in part on assurances the company received from Israel-based staff. However, in recent days some senior executives at the company's US headquarters have raised doubts about the veracity of the information received from some of the employees in Israel who manage the company's relationship with the military. One of the sources familiar with internal conversations said executives had been unable to verify some of the information provided by staff in Israel, and had questioned whether employees may have felt more bound to their country's military rather than to their employer. Using leaked Microsoft documents, the Guardian has identified several employees involved in managing projects with Unit 8200 who have previously shared online that they have served in or are reservists of the elite eavesdropping unit, which is equivalent in its remit to the US National Security Agency. Despite concerns raised by executives in recent days, the company has not yet launched the kind of formal review it conducted earlier this year into its work with the Israeli military. The review was prompted by reporting by the Guardian and others about Israel's reliance on Microsoft technology during its Gaza offensive. A Microsoft spokesperson said the company 'takes these allegations seriously, as shown by our previous independent investigation. As we receive new information, we're committed to making sure we have a chance to validate any new data and take any needed action.' According to the leaked files reviewed by the Guardian, Microsoft – including senior executives – was aware Unit 8200 planned to move large volumes of sensitive and classified intelligence data into Azure as the company began working with the unit in 2021 to add advanced security measures within the cloud platform. However, the company has insisted its executives were not aware Azure was being used by Unit 8200 to store the content of intercepted Palestinian calls. 'We have no information related to the data stored in the customer's cloud environment,' a spokesperson said earlier this week. In a statement issued by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) after publication of the investigation, a spokesperson said: 'We appreciate Microsoft's support to protect our cybersecurity. We confirm that Microsoft is not and has not been working with the IDF on the storage or processing of data.' Several Microsoft sources said the IDF's statement was viewed with surprise by the company's leadership since it is not a secret it provides cloud storage to the military under contracts with Israel's defence ministry. Following the revelations about Unit 8200's reliance on Microsoft, a worker-led group, No Azure for Apartheid (Noaa), issued a series of demands, including that the company cut off and 'make all ties to the Israeli military publicly known'. Abdo Mohamed, an organizer with Noaa, who was fired by the company last year, said Microsoft's chief executive, Satya Nadella, and other executives 'claim they are unaware of how their company colluded with the Israeli regime to profit from Palestinian suffering while being the very ones who committed Microsoft to this partnership in 2021'.
Yahoo
24-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Draganfly Secures Strategic Military Order for Commander 3XL UAV Systems
Tampa Bay, Florida, July 22, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Draganfly Inc. (NASDAQ: DPRO; CSE: DPRO; FSE: 3U8A) ('Draganfly' or the 'Company'), an award-winning developer of drone solutions and systems developer, today announced the sale of Commander 3XL Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) systems to a globally recognized defense contractor specializing in persistent surveillance technologies for military operations. A trusted partner to U.S. and allied defense forces for decades, the client is one of the world's leading providers of persistent surveillance platforms. Its systems are deployed across key Department of Defense (DoD) and allied installations, delivering reliable, persistent intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities. The Commander 3XL's modular payload architecture, extended endurance, and AI-enabled mission control make it an ideal asset for military-grade surveillance programs. The systems will support perimeter security, early warning, and real-time situational awareness, operating seamlessly alongside and integrated with persistent platforms and ground-based command centers. 'This sale marks a significant milestone for Draganfly as we expand our presence in the defense sector,' said Cameron Chell, CEO of Draganfly. 'We are honored that the Commander 3XL has been chosen for integration into one of the world's most advanced and enduring persistent surveillance platforms. This integration enhances capabilities for military and border surveillance systems, providing greater reach and effectiveness.' This purchase further underscores the Commander 3XL's versatility in both static and dynamic ISR environments, enabling defense clients to adapt swiftly to evolving threat landscapes. About Draganfly Draganfly Inc. (NASDAQ: DPRO; CSE: DPRO; FSE: 3U8A) is a leader in cutting-edge drone solutions and software that are transforming industries and serving stakeholders globally. Recognized for innovation and excellence for over 25 years, Draganfly delivers award-winning technology to the public safety, agriculture, industrial inspection, security, mapping, and surveying markets. The Company is driven by passion, ingenuity, and a mission to provide efficient solutions and first-class services to customers worldwide, saving time, money, and lives. NASDAQ (DPRO)CSE (DPRO)FSE (3U8) Media Contact:Erika RacicotEmail: media@ Company Contact Cameron Chell Chief Executive Officer (306) 955-9907 info@ This release contains certain 'forward looking statements' and certain 'forward-looking information' as defined under applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements and information can generally be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as 'may', 'will', 'expect', 'intend', 'estimate', 'anticipate', 'believe', 'continue', 'plans' or similar terminology. Forward-looking statements and information are based on forecasts of future results, estimates of amounts not yet determinable and assumptions that, while believed by management to be reasonable, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the Commander 3XL's modular payload architecture, extended endurance, and AI-enabled mission control make it an ideal asset for military-grade surveillance programs as well as that the systems will support perimeter security, early warning, and real-time situational awareness, operating seamlessly alongside persistent platforms and ground-based command centers. Forward-looking statements and information are subject to various known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the ability of the Company to control or predict, that may cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied thereby, and are developed based on assumptions about such risks, uncertainties and other factors set out here in, including but not limited to: the potential impact of epidemics, pandemics or other public health crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic, on the Company's business, operations and financial condition; the successful integration of technology; the inherent risks involved in the general securities markets; uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future; the inherent uncertainty of cost estimates; the potential for unexpected costs and expenses, currency fluctuations; regulatory restrictions; and liability, competition, loss of key employees and other related risks and uncertainties disclosed under the heading 'Risk Factors' in the Company's most recent filings filed with securities regulators in Canada on the SEDAR website at and with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the 'SEC') on EDGAR through the SEC's website at The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information except as required by applicable law. Such forward-looking information represents managements' best judgment based on information currently available. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed and actual future results may vary materially. Accordingly, readers are advised not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
