LONDON: Human rights groups and activists welcomed Microsoft’s suspension of Israeli military access to some technologies linked to mass surveillance of Palestinians, urging the company to go further and end all contracts with Israel. The decision, announced by Microsoft President Brad Smith on Thursday, followed an investigation by The Guardian, +972 Magazine, and Local Call, which revealed that Unit 8200, Israel’s spy agency, used Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform to store and process vast amounts of Palestinian phone calls in Gaza and the West Bank as part of a mass surveillance program.

Exclusive: Tech firm ends military unit’s access to AI and data services after Guardian reveals secret spy project

The Guardian revealed last month that Microsoft’s services were being used for mass surveillance of Palestinians.