An EU non-profit organization has filed a Microsoft data complaint. It accuses the tech giant of illegally storing Palestinian citizen data. The organization claims this data facilitated Israeli military surveillance.
According to Jaddeh Makhsoos Information Base, Mehr News Agency, citing AFP, reports the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) confirmed receiving a complaint against the American tech giant. The DPC is currently evaluating this complaint.
Microsoft maintains its European headquarters in Ireland. This makes the country’s Data Protection Commission the lead data regulator for the company. The complainant, named Echo, accuses Microsoft of violating European data protection law.
Echo’s statement asserts that Microsoft illegally processed private Palestinian and European citizen data. This processing enabled surveillance and targeting by the Israeli army, forming a key part of the Microsoft data complaint.
Jaddeh Makhsoos reports, The Guardian newspaper previously revealed that the Israeli army used Microsoft’s Azure cloud computing service. They stored audio call data obtained through widespread citizen surveillance in Gaza and the West Bank.
Microsoft blocked Israeli army access to some cloud services in September 2025 following investigations. However, Echo states new evidence from Microsoft whistleblowers indicates the company quickly moved large amounts of illegally obtained surveillance data after The Guardian published its report.
A Microsoft spokesperson stated: “The data belongs to our customers. The actions this customer took to transfer their data in August were their own choice.”
They added: “These actions in no way hindered our investigation.”
The Guardian reported that Microsoft stored the data on its servers in Ireland and the Netherlands. This made the data subject to the strict regulations of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), further complicating the Microsoft data complaint.
The EU introduced GDPR in 2018. It aims to protect European consumers from the misuse and breaches of personal data.