Leaked files reveal how Google and Amazon Granted IsrAlien Authoritites Unprecedented Control over Cloud Data and Surveillance Tools

When Google and Amazon sealed a $1.2 billion cloud-computing contract with the Israeli government in 2021, they agreed to more than just technical terms. According to a leak-based investigation by The Guardian, "Israel" insisted on a clandestine addition, a covert signal system known as the “winking mechanism".

The unusual demand required the two tech giants to discreetly alert Israeli authorities whenever they were compelled to share Israeli data with foreign law enforcement agencies.

In practice, this meant finding a way to bypass global legal disclosure limits, a move that could place the companies in potential conflict with international law. [MORE]