Microsoft has announced a second investigation into accusations surrounding the Israeli military's use of the company's Azure cloud computing platform in Gaza.
This time, however, the company said it would be using lawyers as well as an independent consulting firm for the investigation.
The move by Microsoft comes after a report published earlier this month by The Guardian alleged that Israel's military has been used Azure for the “mass surveillance of civilians in Gaza and the West Bank” by storing phone call data files.
The Redmond, Washington-based technology giant said that if the accusations are true, it would constitute a violation of Microsoft's standard terms of service.
For much of the year, controversy has lingered about how various Microsoft products are being used by Israel's military in Gaza, in addition to the company's existing contracts with the Israeli government.
In April, during an event marking the company's 50th anniversary, Mustafa Suleyman, Microsoft's head of AI, was interrupted by a protester who criticised the company for having contracts with Israel.
Videos posted on social media show Mr Suleyman's speech coming to a halt as a woman in the audience accuses him of being a war profiteer. Outside the event, demonstrators protested against the company's contracts with Israel.
Many of the demonstrators were Microsoft employees, who were terminated for their actions.
The protests have stemmed from the group No Azure for Apartheid (NOAA), which was founded by former Microsoft employees.
In response to the demonstrations and allegations, Microsoft announced that an internal review had found “no evidence” its products have been used to harm people in Gaza.
The company came to that conclusion based on an investigation conducted with the help of an outside firm, which involved interviews with dozens of employees and the lengthy assessment of documents.
“As with many governments around the world, we also work with the Israeli government to protect its national cyberspace against external threats,” Microsoft said. The company did not find evidence that Israel's military had failed to comply with Microsoft's terms of service, it added.
There were some caveats in Microsoft's statement, however.
There was acknowledgement that because of the nature of how software and AI tools are used, Microsoft's own investigation might have been limited.
“Microsoft does not have visibility into how customers use our software on their own servers or other devices,” the company said, before concluding with a message expressing concern over the loss of life in Israel and Gaza.
Those concerns culminated in a shareholder resolution submitted and supported by 60 investors that is seeking to push Microsoft to evaluate its effectiveness in promoting “human rights due diligence processes” related to its AI tools.
The lead filer of the resolution, set to face a vote at Microsoft's annual shareholder meeting in December, is the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary, an international congregation of Catholic women.
As for Microsoft's decision to perform yet another investigation into how its cloud and AI offerings are used by Israel's military, NOAA has dismissed the announcement as a delay strategy.
“Microsoft must terminate all Azure contracts and partnerships with the Israeli military government,” the group said.
“The No Azure for Apartheid campaign rejects Microsoft’s 'urgent' inquiry into its business with the Israeli Military – as yet another tactic to delay the immediate cessation of ties with the Israeli military.”
Other major companies have come under scrutiny for contracts with Israel. Palantir, Lockheed Martin, Booz Allen Hamilton, Google and others have faced criticism.
Israel's campaign in Gaza – which followed the October 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas-led fighters that resulted in the deaths of about 1,200 people and the capture of 240 hostages – has killed more than 62,000 people and injured about 156,000.
