A legal complaint has been filed against Microsoft in Ireland, accusing the tech giant of facilitating Israeli military surveillance targeting Palestinians. The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) lodged the claim following allegations from employees that Microsoft helped conceal evidence of widespread monitoring of Palestinian communications, conducted from data centres located in Ireland.

The complaint argues that Microsoft’s actions breach European data protection laws and calls on Ireland’s Data Protection Commission to investigate the company’s handling of sensitive data linked to the Israeli military. It seeks to halt any further processing of information that could be used in operations contributing to the ongoing genocidal war in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. Whistleblowers, supported by advocacy group Eko, have provided additional testimony regarding the company’s involvement.

According to previous reports, Israel’s Unit 8200 utilised Microsoft’s Azure platform to store recordings of calls made by millions of Palestinians, a practice forbidden under Microsoft’s own terms of service. The company announced an external investigation into the matter in August, but staff and activist groups continue to pressure Microsoft over its perceived complicity in facilitating mass surveillance and violence. Campaigns such as “No Azure for Apartheid” accuse the company of aiding the machinery of oppression and demand full transparency regarding its contracts with the Israeli military.