Microsoft said recently that it will tighten human rights controls when working with national security agencies after completing an internal investigation into the Israeli military's use of its cloud technology. The company announced on the 4th that it had completed the above-mentioned investigation and would launch a series of new measures, including adjusting its internal supervision and management methods for employees holding foreign government security clearances.
Microsoft launched this investigation last year after the Guardian, the Israeli-Palestinian media "+972 Magazine" and the Hebrew media "Local Call" revealed that the Israeli military intelligence agency Unit 8200 used the Microsoft cloud platform to store a large number of intercepted Palestinian phone calls.
Shortly after the investigation was launched, Microsoft terminated the Israeli military's access to its cloud and artificial intelligence services to support related surveillance projects. A preliminary investigation showed that the practices of Unit 8200 violated Microsoft's terms of service.
In its latest summary of the findings, Microsoft said its "factual findings remain unchanged" and that the company will adopt a number of recommendations to improve "the effectiveness of human rights governance."
The announcement, dubbed a "final update," was seen as Microsoft's attempt to bring closure to a difficult period that has followed heightened attention on the role of its technology in Israel's bombing of Gaza and operations in the occupied West Bank.
Previous investigative reports pointed out that Unit 8200 uses the Microsoft Azure cloud platform to run a highly generalized monitoring system, allowing intelligence personnel to collect, playback and analyze the content of millions of Palestinian mobile phone calls every day.
This situation has caused concerns among Microsoft executives: Some employees of the company's Israeli subsidiaries may not be fully transparent with the headquarters about their understanding of the use of Microsoft technology by Unit 8200.
According to people familiar with the matter, the internal investigation also examined how some employees in Microsoft's Tel Aviv office experienced internal conflicts between their loyalty to the company and their support for the Israeli military after Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7 last year.
Last month, Microsoft announced that the head of its Israeli business would resign. Local media reported that this personnel change was related to a dispute within the subsidiary involving violations of Microsoft's ethics code. Several other management personnel were also accused of leaving the company.
However, these personnel changes were not included in the investigation summary text released by Microsoft.
In the five-page document, Microsoft highlights a number of institutional measures it will implement, including adjusting the way it reviews "national security-related" business before signing contracts.
The document also states that Microsoft will review how it manages employee security clearances in "certain countries" and "make adjustments accordingly to ensure employees understand how to handle the various requirements for security clearances while working for Microsoft."
The Guardian previously reported that many employees involved in the management of the Unit 8200 project had served or served in reserve status in this elite surveillance force, which is widely regarded as the Israeli version of the US National Security Agency (NSA).
In addition to employee management, Microsoft also promised to regularly review sensitive customers' compliance with its acceptable use policy, especially if there are "new political circumstances or changes in project sensitivities."
The company also said it would strengthen its human rights due diligence process in "conflict-affected and high-risk areas" to reduce the risk of technology being used to violate human rights.
Microsoft has repeatedly emphasized that its top management, including CEO Satya Nadella, had no prior knowledge of Unit 8200’s use of Azure to store the content of Palestinian communications intercepted.
The company also reiterated that it will not provide technology for mass surveillance of civilians to any party.
However, the relevant disclosures have triggered a chain reaction inside and outside Microsoft.
Last year, after the Guardian report came to light, Microsoft's U.S. headquarters and a European data center faced protests, demanding that the company stop providing technical support to the Israeli military.
Shareholders, non-governmental organizations and the employee-initiated "No Azure for Apartheid" action group subsequently continued to pressure Microsoft to be more transparent in its business dealings with Israeli military customers.
This week, the group launched a new round of protests during Microsoft's annual conference in San Francisco.
Outside the venue, demonstrators carried slogans such as "Microsoft powers genocide" and "Sever ties with Israel immediately" to denounce the company's role in Israel's military operations.
Under the spotlight of the outside world, Microsoft is trying to balance the tension between business interests, national security cooperation and human rights responsibilities by improving internal control and human rights governance mechanisms. However, its specific implementation effects and external reactions remain to be further observed.