On 6 August, a Guardian investigation revealed that Israel is relying on Microsoft cloud services for the “expansive surveillance of Palestinians” -- with the Israeli military reportedly storing Palestinians’ phone calls on Microsoft’s servers in Europe. The company told the Guardian it had “no information” about the kind of data Israel’s military planned to store in its Azure cloud platform.

Gayatri Khandhadai, Head of Technology and Human Rights, Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, said: “Allegations of complicity in war crimes and facilitation of the ongoing genocide in Gaza are mounting against Microsoft, including in a recent report by the UN Special Rapporteur on Palestine in June 2025. At a time when shareholders are demanding action for alleged complicity in crimes in Palestine, the Guardian’s latest investigation raises serious concerns about Microsoft’s alleged role in the horrors unfolding in Gaza. Claims of ignorance in the context of this conflict provide no cover for these companies. Heightened human rights due diligence in conflict isn’t optional; it’s the bare minimum to avoid allegations of complicity in violations of international humanitarian and human rights law. The more severe the risks to people the company could be connected to, the more sophisticated this due diligence needs to be – and there is no question that the unfolding genocide in Gaza requires this level of assessment. Because this is functionally impossible in Gaza the conclusion is inescapable: responsible disengagement and exit are the only legally and morally sound option, and continuing to operate in this context risks violation of international law. As calls for accountability grow louder, tech companies allegedly implicated in the conflict must reverse course and take immediate corrective action.”