Google and Amazon Cloud Contracts Allegedly Require Circumventing Legal Orders

Google and Amazon’s cloud computing contracts with Israel reportedly include a mechanism requiring the companies to bypass legal orders. According to a report published by The Guardian on Wednesday, a so-called “winking mechanism” within the 2021 Project Nimbus contract stipulates that Google and Amazon must communicate with Israel through coded messages regarding data requests related to gag orders.

The system reportedly involves financial transactions. Whenever Google or Amazon complies with an overseas legal request for Israeli data, they are purportedly required to send money to Israel. The amount transmitted indicates the originating country of the request, utilizing country dialing prefixes as a coding system. For instance, transferring data to the U.S. (+1) would trigger a 1,000 shekel payment to Israel, while a request from Italy (+39) would result in a 3,900 shekel payment.

A failsafe is reportedly built into the system: If gag orders prevent the standard signaling method, Google or Amazon can notify Israel by sending 100,000 shekels. The Guardian‘s report suggests Microsoft lost out on bidding for the Nimbus contract in part due to its refusal to accept these terms.

An Amazon spokesperson stated in a statement to Engadget, “We respect the privacy of our customers, and we do not discuss our relationship without their consent, or have visibility into their workloads.” The spokesperson denied the existence of any workarounds, emphasizing Amazon’s “rigorous global process for responding to lawful and binding orders for requests related to customer data.” Google and the Israeli government have been contacted for comment.