Irish human rights group initiates lawsuit against Microsoft for facilitating Israel's 'killing of civilians in Gaza'

The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) filed a complaint on Thursday against Microsoft to the Data Protection Commission (DPC) for conducting unlawful data processing on behalf of the Israeli army in Gaza. 

The ICCL said the complaint concerns data processing by Microsoft Ireland that facilitated the killing of civilians in Gaza by the Israeli army; continues to enable mass surveillance of individuals in occupied Palestine, and enables the illegal Israeli occupation in Palestine.

ICCL has asked the DPC to urgently investigate Microsoft Ireland's data processing, which continues to enable human rights violations. The human rights organisation has also asked the DPC to exercise its powers to stop this unlawful data processing.

"When EU infrastructure is used to enable surveillance and targeting, the Irish Data Protection Commission must step in, and it must use its full powers to hold Microsoft to account," executive director of ICCL Joe O’Brien said.