Ireland urged to probe Microsoft over sharing data with Israeli military

Dec. 4 Irish authorities have been formally requested to investigate Microsoft over claims that the company mishandled data for the Israeli Defense Forces. The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL), a human rights organization, submitted the complaint to the European Union's Data Protection Commission.

"Microsoft's tools have exposed millions of Palestinians to danger," said ICCL Executive Director Joe O'Brien.

The call for investigation came after reports by The Guardian and two additional media outlets in August revealed that numerous phone calls from Palestinians were stored on Microsoft's Azure cloud platform, allegedly as part of an Israeli military surveillance operation in Gaza.

Microsoft's European headquarters are located in Ireland. In September, the company restricted some of the IDF's access to its technology used to monitor civilian phone calls in Gaza and the West Bank, citing a breach of its policies by storing surveillance data on Azure.

The ICCL stated that the processing of this data "enabled war crimes, crimes against humanity, and acts of genocide by the Israeli military."

"These are not mere data protection lapses they are breaches that have facilitated actual violence," O'Brien added. "When EU-based systems are exploited for surveillance and targeting, the Irish Data Protection Commission must intervene and fully hold Microsoft accountable."

Microsoft, founded by Bill Gates, has had a presence in Ireland for four decades. The Irish Taoiseach, Michel Martin, highlighted this in parliamentary remarks, noting that Microsoft arrived in Ireland in 1985 during a period of 17% unemployment, emphasizing the government's focus on economic development and enterprise growth.

Author: Grace Ellison