⭕️ Leaked documents expose Google, Amazon ‘winking mechanism’ to secretly alert Israel over foreign data requests – The Cradle

 ⭕️ Leaked documents expose Google, Amazon ‘winking mechanism’ to secretly alert Israel over foreign data requests

Leaked Israeli government documents obtained by The Guardian, +972 Magazine, and Local Call reveal that Google and Amazon secretly agreed to use a coded “winking mechanism” to alert Tel Aviv whenever they were compelled to share Israeli data with foreign authorities under a $1.2bn cloud-computing deal known as Project Nimbus.

The mechanism required the companies to send small “special compensation” payments—matching the foreign country’s dialing code—within 24 hours of any disclosure, sidestepping legal gag orders. Legal experts called it a “clever but risky” attempt to skirt international law, warning it could breach US confidentiality rules.

Under the 2021 deal, both firms also accepted extraordinary terms barring them from restricting Israel’s use of their cloud services, even if tied to human rights abuses. The arrangement guarantees Tel Aviv uninterrupted access to military, intelligence, and surveillance systems hosted on their platforms.

The revelations follow Microsoft’s move last month to cut Israeli military access to its cloud after discovering it stored intercepted Palestinian calls.

The Nimbus contract forbids Google and Amazon from taking similar action, binding them to maintain full service or face penalties.

Both companies denied evading legal orders, while Israel’s finance ministry said the agreement protects “vital national interests.”

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