Microsoft Israel chief leaves after inquiry into use of tech to spy on Palestinians

Microsoft Israel chief leaves after inquiry into use of tech to spy on Palestinians Submitted by MEE staff on Wed, 05/13/2026 - 10:52 Alon Haimovich departs after investigation into use of Microsoft Azure by Israel's Unit 8200 spy agency A Microsoft logo is seen in Issy-les-Moulineaux, near Paris, in April 2026 (Reuters) Off The head of Microsoft’s Israeli subsidiary is leaving his post following an investigation into the use of the tech company’s Azure platform by the Israeli defence ministry.  Alon Haimovich will depart after four years as general manager of Microsoft Israel, with oversight of the subsidiary set to be transferred to Microsoft France, financial paper Globes reported on Tuesday.  Several managers in Microsoft Israel’s governance department have also left their positions amid concerns that they have violated the company’s code of ethics. Last year, Microsoft ordered an inquiry into the Israeli military’s use of the company’s technology to operate a surveillance system that could replay and analyse the contents of millions of Palestinian phone calls every day. The inquiry came in response to revelations that Israel’s Unit 8200 intelligence agency had used Microsoft’s Azure cloud computing platform to store a vast trove of intercepted calls from Gaza and the occupied West Bank. The inquiry commissioned by Microsoft is understood to have recently concluded and to have led to Haimovich’s departure. The Guardian reported that while the inquiry’s findings are unclear, Microsoft concluded that Unit 8200 had violated its terms of service, which prohibit the use of its technology to facilitate mass surveillance. Microsoft subsequently terminated the...

Original source: Middle East Eye