Microsoft on Thursday said it has disabled a set of services to a unit in Israel's Ministry of Defence.
The announcement followed internal reviews at the company after reports indicated that Microsoft technology was being used by the Israeli military in Gaza.
In a post to the company's blog, Brad Smith, Microsoft's vice chairman and president, said that the review process had “found evidence that supports elements” of those reports.
“This evidence includes information relating to IMOD [Israel Ministry of Defence] consumption of Azure storage capacity in the Netherlands and the use of AI services,” Mr Smith wrote.
The Guardian, which first reported on Microsoft's ties to the Israeli military, said the company has ended the access for Unit 8200, which the outlet describes as the military's elite spy agency, to technology it used to operate a powerful surveillance system that collected millions of civilian phone calls in Gaza and the West Bank.
But Mr Smith said that Microsoft does not provide its technology to enable the mass surveillance of civilians, and that it respects and protects customers' privacy rights.
Mr Smith emphasised that the reviews did not involve accessing the Ministry of Defence's customer content, but instead focused on reviewing Microsoft's business records and communications.
“Microsoft is not a government or a country. We are a company,” he wrote. “Like every company, we decide what products and services to offer to our customers.”
Since April, the software company has come under criticism from various groups, chief among them No Azure for Apartheid, which claims that Microsoft's AI and cloud products have been used to target Palestinians in the war in Gaza. In late August, pro-Palestine protesters occupied Mr Smith's office in Redmond, Washington.
Microsoft announced in May that an internal review had found “no evidence” its products have been used to harm people in Gaza.
There were caveats in the review, however, particularly an acknowledgement that because of the nature of how software and AI tools are used by various entities, Microsoft's investigation might have been limited.
Company 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.
“Microsoft will continue to be a company guided by principles and ethics,” Mr Smith wrote. “We will hold every decision, statement, and action to this standard. This is non-negotiable.”
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Safety 'top priority' for rival hyperloop company
The chief operating officer of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, Andres de Leon, said his company's hyperloop technology is “ready” and safe.
He said the company prioritised safety throughout its development and, last year, Munich Re, one of the world's largest reinsurance companies, announced it was ready to insure their technology.
“Our levitation, propulsion, and vacuum technology have all been developed [...] over several decades and have been deployed and tested at full scale,” he said in a statement to The National.
“Only once the system has been certified and approved will it move people,” he said.
HyperloopTT has begun designing and engineering processes for its Abu Dhabi projects and hopes to break ground soon.
With no delivery date yet announced, Mr de Leon said timelines had to be considered carefully, as government approval, permits, and regulations could create necessary delays.
More on Quran memorisation:
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Winners
Ballon d’Or (Men’s)
Ousmane Dembélé (Paris Saint-Germain / France)
Ballon d’Or Féminin (Women’s)
Aitana Bonmatí (Barcelona / Spain)
Kopa Trophy (Best player under 21 – Men’s)
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona / Spain)
Best Young Women’s Player
Vicky López (Barcelona / Spain)
Yashin Trophy (Best Goalkeeper – Men’s)
Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City / Italy)
Best Women’s Goalkeeper
Hannah Hampton (England / Aston Villa and Chelsea)
Men’s Coach of the Year
Luis Enrique (Paris Saint-Germain)
Women’s Coach of the Year
Sarina Wiegman (England)
The years Ramadan fell in May
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More on animal trafficking
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal / Ubisoft Toronto
Publisher: Ubisoft
Platforms: Playstation 4, Xbox One, Windows
Release Date: April 10
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
UAE Premiership
Results
Dubai Exiles 24-28 Jebel Ali Dragons
Abu Dhabi Harlequins 43-27 Dubai Hurricanes
Final
Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Jebel Ali Dragons, Friday, March 29, 5pm at The Sevens, Dubai
The biog
Siblings: five brothers and one sister
Education: Bachelors in Political Science at the University of Minnesota
Interests: Swimming, tennis and the gym
Favourite place: UAE
Favourite packet food on the trip: pasta primavera
What he did to pass the time during the trip: listen to audio books
MATCH INFO
Chelsea 0
Liverpool 2 (Mane 50', 54')
Red card: Andreas Christensen (Chelsea)
Man of the match: Sadio Mane (Liverpool)
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
