Google's applied principles

1. Apr 2021
   Israel names Google and Amazon as joint winners of Project Nimbus ($1.2B). [Times of Israel]
2. May 2021
   Google Cloud announces its selection, presenting Nimbus as addressing the state's "challenges within the public sector" in healthcare, transportation and education, with no mention of military use. [Google Cloud blog]
3. Jul 2022
   Nimbus training materials show the full suite of Google Cloud AI tools is available to Israeli state customers, including the Ministry of Defense: face detection, object tracking and "sentiment analysis". In one webinar a Google presenter says a model could be trained to tell whether someone is lying from their voice. [The Intercept] [Nimbus webinar (DocumentCloud)]
4. Oct 2023
   Context · Oct 2023 · not directly GoogleHamas attacks Israel; Israel's military campaign in Gaza begins.
5. Jan 2024
   Context · Jan 2024 · not directly GoogleThe International Court of Justice orders Israel to take all measures within its power to prevent genocidal acts in Gaza, in South Africa's case under the Genocide Convention. ICJ
6. Mar 2024
   Context · Mar 2024 · not directly GoogleUN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese finds reasonable grounds to believe that the threshold for genocide has been met in Gaza. OHCHR
7. Mar 2024
   The New York Times reveals Israel's facial-recognition program in Gaza, which uses Google Photos (see context box). [NYT]
8. Apr 2024
   • No comment on Google Photos: Google won't say whether the military's use breaks its rules against using Photos to cause "serious and immediate harm to people". [The Intercept]
   • Google's standard denial:

     "This work is not directed at highly sensitive, classified, or military workloads relevant to weapons or intelligence services. The Nimbus contract is for workloads running on our commercial cloud by Israeli government ministries, who agree to comply with our Terms of Service and Acceptable Use Policy."

     — Google spokesperson Anna Kowalczyk, to Wired, Jul 2024

     Google has used versions of this line since at least 2022. Later reporting contradicts both halves: Nimbus runs on adjusted terms (Dec 2024), and classified work runs under a parallel contract, Natrolite (May 2025). [TechRadar, 2022] [Time] [Wired]
   • Defense Ministry on Google Cloud: a draft contract from March 2024 shows the Ministry of Defense already had its own secure setup on Google Cloud for storing and processing data and using AI services. For more than $1 million, with a 15% discount under the Nimbus framework, Google would provide a year of consulting to extend that setup to more military units. It was the first public evidence that the defense ministry is a direct Google Cloud customer, days after Google said Nimbus served civilian ministries. [Time]
9. May 2024
   A tender document shows state-owned arms makers Israel Aerospace IndustriesIsrael Aerospace Industries (IAI)Israel's largest aerospace and defence company, wholly owned by the state. It makes military drones, including the Heron surveillance drones used by the IDF, as well as loitering munitions, missile-defence systems such as Arrow, radars, and military satellites. It is a major supplier to the IDF and a leading Israeli arms exporter. and RafaelRafael Advanced Defense SystemsA state-owned Israeli weapons manufacturer, founded as the defence ministry's weapons research arm. It develops the Iron Dome interceptor system, Spike guided missiles, precision-guided bomb kits, air-to-air missiles, and armour-protection systems for tanks and armoured vehicles. Its main customer is the IDF., which build drones and missiles used in Gaza, are "required to purchase the services" from the winning bidders. Google's Nimbus marketplace also offers Palantir's Foundry. Google repeats its denial of military work. [The Intercept]
10. Jul 2024
    Context · Jul 2024 · not directly GoogleIn an advisory opinion, the ICJ finds Israel's continued occupation of the Palestinian territory unlawful. ICJ
11. Aug 2024
    In a July 2024 talk, recorded by +972 and Local Call and published in August, the head of the IDF's computing unit, Col. Racheli Dembinsky, confirms for the first time that the army uses cloud and AI services from AWS, Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure in its war on Gaza, including for units handling classified information. [Recording] [+972 Magazine]
12. Nov 2024
    Context · Nov 2024 · not directly GoogleThe International Criminal Court issues arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. ICC
13. Dec 2024

    • "Google Cloud services could be used for, or linked to, the facilitation of human rights violations, including Israeli activity in the West Bank."

      — Internal Google report, Jan 2021, via The New York Times

      Google's lawyers and policy staff flagged human-rights risks months before signing. Business for Social Responsibility (BSR), the human-rights consultancy Google hired to vet the deal, recommended that Google not provide AI to the Israeli military, warned that Google would have little understanding of how its technology was used, and advised due diligence and writing Google's AI Principles into the contract, which would have committed Israel not to use Nimbus for surveillance or weapons or to harm people. [NYT]
    • Google's lawyer warned before the bid: in a December 2020 email, before Google won the contract, company lawyer Edward du Boulay warned that the Israeli "government has unilateral right to impose contract changes", and that Google would retain "almost no ability to sue [Israel] for damages" stemming from "permitted uses … breaches". [The Intercept]
    • Adjusted terms, not Google's: Israeli government contract documents show that an "adjusted" terms of service document is in effect, not Google's standard terms, contradicting Google's public line. A separate marketplace document promises "no restrictions" on what Israel migrates, "including vital systems of high sensitivity level". [The Intercept]
14. Dec 2024
    Context · Dec 2024 · not directly GoogleAmnesty International concludes that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza; Human Rights Watch finds the crime against humanity of extermination and acts of genocide. Amnesty · HRW
15. Jan 2025
    Internal documents obtained by The Washington Post show Israel's military repeatedly seeking more of Google's AI after 7 Oct. Within weeks of the attack, the Defense Ministry urgently asked to expand its use of Vertex AI, and through 2024 the IDF kept requesting access to more AI tools, including Gemini. The documents do not show how the military used these capabilities. [Washington Post]
16. Mar 2025
    Context · Mar 2025 · not directly Google

    An IDF spokesperson tells the Knesset a digital campaign could 'explain that there is no hunger' in Gaza. Drop Site News

    The statement comes hours after Israel blocks all aid into Gaza on 2 March.

17. May 2025
    The Intercept obtains two internal Google reports on Nimbus: a risk assessment from January 2021, months before Google won the contract, and a follow-up drafted after the win. They show:

    • Approved at the top despite the warnings: the January 2021 human-rights warning and BSR's advice to withhold AI from the military were already reported by The New York Times. The report adds that Cloud chief Thomas Kurian would personally approve the bid "with full understanding and acceptance of these risks", and recommended that Google "secure additional assurances" against its services being used for human-rights violations. It is unclear whether any were obtained.
    • No oversight: Google would have "very limited visibility" into how its services were used, and could not restrict what the government, including the Ministry of Defense and the Shin Bet, migrates to its cloud. Customers may use the services "for any reason except violation of applicable law", under exclusive Israeli jurisdiction.
    • Classified work and joint drills: classified workloads run under a separate contract, code-named Natrolite. Google set up a "Classified Team" of cleared Israeli nationals, who would take part in training with Israeli security agencies and in "joint drills". The report says Google offered this level of cooperation to no other country.
    • Resist foreign investigations: Google must notify Israel of any outside legal scrutiny and "Reject, Appeal, and Resist Foreign Government Access Requests". The post-award report adds that Google must not answer law enforcement requests without consulting Israeli authorities, which it says "could cause us to breach international legal orders / law". Israel can also extend the contract to 23 years, "with limited ability for Google to walk away".

    [The Intercept]
18. Jul 2025
    Context · Jul 2025 · Google leadership, not a contract event

    Sergey Brin calls the UN "transparently antisemitic". Washington Post · Defence for Children International · Common Dreams

    The comment follows the UN Special Rapporteur's report on tech firms and Gaza, which names Alphabet. Rights groups condemn the wider smear campaign against Rapporteur Francesca Albanese.

19. Jul 2025
    Context · Jul 2025 · not directly GoogleIsraeli rights groups B'Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights Israel conclude that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. Al Jazeera
20. Aug 2025
    Context · Aug 2025 · not directly Google

    Microsoft is revealed to host Unit 8200's surveillance data on Azure. +972 Magazine · Business & Human Rights Resource Centre

    The investigation by +972, Local Call and the Guardian prompts Microsoft to launch an "urgent" external inquiry.

21. Sep 2025

    "There is food in Gaza. Any other claim is a lie."

    — Israeli Foreign Ministry ad on YouTube, viewed more than 6 million times

    Google is midway through a six-month, $45M advertising contract with Netanyahu's office, which began in June and runs across YouTube and Display & Video 360, labelled hasbara (state public diplomacy). The contract describes Google as a "key entity" supporting the prime minister's messaging. The campaigns deny famine in Gaza and seek to delegitimise UN agencies and humanitarian organisations. [Drop Site News]
22. Sep 2025
    Context · Sep 2025 · not directly GoogleThe International Association of Genocide Scholars passes a resolution finding that Israel's conduct in Gaza meets the legal definition of genocide. NBC News
23. Sep 2025
    Context · Sep 2025 · not directly GoogleUN Commission of Inquiry formally finds Israel committed genocide in Gaza. OHCHR
24. Sep 2025
    Context · Sep 2025 · not directly Google

    Microsoft cuts off part of Unit 8200's access for breaching its terms of service. The Guardian

    The decision follows the results of Microsoft's inquiry. Intelligence sources say the unit planned to move the data to AWS.

25. Oct 2025
    A secret 'winking mechanism' requires Google and Amazon to tip off Israel about foreign data requests through coded payments: an Italian request (+39) means 3,900 shekels, due within 24 hours. The contract bars cutting off service over terms-of-service breaches or boycotts. Microsoft lost the bid after refusing some of these conditions. Google and Amazon deny circumventing legal orders. [The Guardian]
26. Feb 2026
    An SEC whistleblower complaint alleges Google breached its AI ethics rules by helping Israeli military contractor CloudEx analyse drone surveillance footage with Gemini. The July 2024 support request came from an IDF email address and, according to the complaint, copied a Google staffer who works on the IDF's Google Cloud account. Google disputes the allegations. [Washington Post] [JPost]
27. Jun 2026
    Context · Jun 2026 · not directly Google

    Microsoft tightens human-rights controls on national-security contracts. The Guardian

    The measures include stricter human-rights checks before such contracts, periodic policy reviews when political circumstances or project scope change, closer oversight of employees holding security clearances from foreign governments, and clearer guidance for staff.

28. Jun 2026
    Files from a Swiss inquiry and internal Google documents, obtained by Republik, show:

    • Zurich engineers answered IDF queries: after 7 October, IDF support requests on processing imagery with Google's cloud and AI products were assigned to engineers including in Zurich.
    • Conflicting account to the Swiss government: Google told the foreign ministry that Zurich staff handled no military requests. In a passage later redacted, it admitted they had advised the Israeli government under Nimbus (see External pressure).

    Google denies supporting the military. [Republik] [Republik (English)]

1. Oct 2021
   No Tech for Apartheid launches

   "We cannot look the other way, as the products we build are used to deny Palestinians their basic rights, force Palestinians out of their homes and attack Palestinians in the Gaza Strip."

   — Google and Amazon workers, The Guardian

   In an anonymous Guardian letter, Google and Amazon workers note that Nimbus was signed the week Israeli strikes on Gaza killed nearly 250 people, including more than 60 children, and call on their employers to drop it and cut ties with the Israeli military. The campaign becomes No Tech for Apartheid. The Guardian
2. Sep 2022
   Coordinated protestsWorkers stage protests in New York, San Francisco and Seattle under the #NoTechForApartheid banner. Common Dreams
3. Nov 2023
   Open letter on retaliation inside GoogleMuslim, Palestinian and Arab Google employees, joined by anti-Zionist Jewish colleagues, publish an open letter through No Tech for Apartheid describing harassment and retaliation for expressing concern for Palestinians. They demand that leadership end it, publicly condemn the genocide, and stop "providing material support to this genocide by canceling its Project Nimbus contract". No Tech for Apartheid (Medium)
4. Mar 2024
   Mind the Tech: letter, protest, firing and resignationsMore than 600 Google workers sign a letter, co-authored by No Tech for Apartheid organisers, asking Google to drop its sponsorship of Mind the Tech, a New York conference promoting the Israeli tech industry. At the event, Cloud engineer Eddie Hatfield interrupts Google Israel's managing director in protest and is fired three days later. In April, Time reports two more resignations over Nimbus and more than 200 Google employees closely involved in No Tech for Apartheid. Wired · Time
5. Apr 2024
   Sit-ins and firingsWorkers hold sit-ins at Google's New York and Sunnyvale offices, including a nine-hour protest in Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian's office. Nine are arrested for trespassing and placed on administrative leave; in the following days Google fires more than 50 workers. CNBC · CBS News
6. 2022 – 2025
   Resignations, firings and speaking outAriel Koren, Marc Cohen, Hasan Ibraheem, Emma Jackson
7. Sep 2025
   Workers call on the public to mass-report the adsGoogle workers with No Tech for Apartheid launch a site asking the public to report the ads Google runs under its $45M contract with Netanyahu's office (Sep 2025), through Google Ads, YouTube and YouTube app reviews. Campaign site
8. May 2026
   DeepMind UK union driveGoogle DeepMind UK staff vote to seek recognition for CWU and Unite, citing Nimbus among their reasons. Business Insider

1. Apr 2024
   Public petition passes 94,000 signaturesNo Tech for Apartheid's public open letter, co-signed by 18 groups and addressed to the Google and Amazon leadership, demands they cancel Project Nimbus. It has more than 94,000 signatures from the general public, rather than employees. Democracy Now! · No Tech for Apartheid
2. May 2024
   HuMENA statementHuman rights organisation HuMENA demands Google drop Project Nimbus and end retaliation against protesting workers. HuMENA
3. Jun 2024
   Student pledgeMore than 1,100 students and early-career workers pledge not to work for Google or Amazon over Nimbus. Ynetnews
4. May 2025
   Shareholder Proposal 9Zevin Asset Management files a proposal for an independent human-rights audit; the Alphabet board recommends voting against it, citing its narrowed AI Principles. Alphabet proxy, p.79
5. Jul 2025
   UN Special Rapporteur reportUN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese's report on the corporate economy around the occupation and the war in Gaza names Alphabet among technology companies whose cloud and AI services to the Israeli government and military may make them complicit, and warns of potential legal liability. UN (A/HRC/59/23)
6. Sep 2025
   Public mass-reporting of the Israeli government adsMembers of the public answer the No Tech for Apartheid workers' call to report the ads through Google Ads and YouTube; the campaign counter shows more than 74,000 reports by October 2026 (see Employee dissent). Campaign site
7. May 2026
   Legal notice to GoogleCCR, the Abolitionist Law Center and Tech Justice Law formally notify Google of potential liability for aiding and abetting atrocity crimes. CCR
8. Jun 2026
   Norway's wealth fund and Proposal 11Norway's sovereign wealth fund backs Proposal 11, filed by a coalition of more than 40 investors led by Zevin Asset Management, asking Alphabet to report on how gaps in its oversight could let governments use Google's cloud and AI for surveillance, censorship, profiling and targeting. The proposal cites Project Nimbus. The Alphabet board recommends voting against it. Fortune · Alphabet proxy, p.87
9. Jun 2026
   Swiss mercenary-law reviewSwitzerland's foreign ministry examines whether the Zurich office's work for Israel falls under its law on private security services provided abroad, known as the "mercenary law". Relying on Google's account, it finds the law does not apply. Files from the review are later obtained by Republik (see Partnership timeline). Republik
10. Ongoing
    BDS campaignThe BDS movement calls for divestment from companies complicit in the occupation, including Google Cloud. BDS Movement

1. Apr 2017
   Context · Apr 2017 · not directly Google

   The Pentagon establishes Project Maven. DoD memo

   The Algorithmic Warfare Cross-Functional Team is created to "accelerate the DoD's integration of big data and machine learning".

2. Mar 2018
   Google revealed as a Maven contractorA pilot project, "an effort to identify objects in drone footage", becomes public after internal discussion. The Intercept reports that the contract, won in September 2017, is routed through ECS Federal, a Northern Virginia staffing company, obscuring Google's role. Google tells staff it is worth $9M; internal emails show at least $15M, with the budget expected to reach $250M a year. Gizmodo · The Intercept · The Intercept (emails)
3. Jun 2018
   Google declines to renew MavenAfter months of internal protest, Google says it "will not renew a contract with the Pentagon for artificial intelligence work"; days later it publishes AI PrinciplesAI Principles (2018): applications we will not pursue"In addition to the above objectives, we will not design or deploy AI in the following application areas:1. Technologies that cause or are likely to cause overall harm. Where there is a material risk of harm, we will proceed only where we believe that the benefits substantially outweigh the risks, and will incorporate appropriate safety constraints.2. Weapons or other technologies whose principal purpose or implementation is to cause or directly facilitate injury to people.3. Technologies that gather or use information for surveillance violating internationally accepted norms.4. Technologies whose purpose contravenes widely accepted principles of international law and human rights.As our experience in this space deepens, this list may evolve."Removed in February 2025 · archived copy linked pledging not to build AI for weapons. New York Times
4. Nov 2020
   Context · Nov 2020 · Google contract, but with the intelligence community, not DoW

   The CIA names Google one of five providers on C2E, the intelligence community's cloud contract. Washington Technology · C4ISRNET

   Google, AWS, IBM, Microsoft and Oracle compete for task orders over 15 years to provide cloud hosting for the 17 intelligence agencies. Procurement documents put its value in the tens of billions; the CIA never disclosed a ceiling, and task orders are not public.

5. Dec 2022
   Joint Warfighting Cloud Capability (JWCC)The Pentagon awards Google, AWS, Microsoft and Oracle places on its $9 billion warfighting cloud contract, running to June 2028. It lets the military buy cloud services directly at all classification levels, from headquarters to the tactical edge, in support of Joint All-Domain Command and Control. It is Google's first direct Pentagon award since Maven. Task orders are rarely made public; the Pentagon said it issued close to 50 across the four providers in the first year. Department of Defense · GovConWire · DefenseScoop
6. Feb 2025
   Anti-weapons and surveillance pledge removedGoogle removes the 2018 pledge not to pursue applications for weapons and surveillance. The revised principles still include a commitment to "Implementing appropriate human oversight, due diligence, and feedback mechanisms to align with user goals, social responsibility, and widely accepted principles of international law and human rights". CNBC · 2018 AI Principles (archived)
7. Apr 2025
   Gemini announced for on-premises and air-gapped deploymentGoogle announces Gemini will run on Google Distributed Cloud, its on-premises and air-gapped product line (the air-gapped version already authorised for Secret and Top Secret missions), with public preview from Q3 2025. Google Cloud
8. May 2025
   Impact Level 6 authorisationGoogle Distributed Cloud and its air-gapped appliance are cleared for Secret classified data; Google says Gemini is available at IL6 and Top Secret. Google Cloud
9. Jul 2025
   Prototyping contract of up to $200MThe Pentagon signs prototyping contracts of up to $200M each with Google, Anthropic, OpenAI and xAI, covering AI tools for "warfighting", decision-making, logistics and intelligence. Google's is with the Chief Digital and AI Office. Google Cloud · The Intercept
10. 2024 – 2025
    Context · 2024–2025 · routine military ITGoogle also holds routine IT contracts across the military, including the Navy's ONENET cloud contract, a DISA data-centre order and a $48M Defense Logistics Agency supply-chain contract. Nextgov · USAspending · Google Cloud
11. Sep 2025
    Context · Sep 2025 · not directly Google

    The U.S. military begins lethal strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific. UN News · UN experts (via IDPC) · Just Security

    The first strike comes on 2 Sep. The UN human rights chief and UN Special Rapporteurs call the strikes extrajudicial killings that may amount to international crimes (see the legal / UN findings box).

12. Dec 2025
    • Place on Golden Dome missile-defence vehicle: Google Public Sector is one of 1,014 companies in the first round of awards on SHIELD, the Missile Defense Agency's $151 billion contract vehicle for the Golden Dome missile shield. Awardees compete for orders; Google's first order is nominal ($500). GovConWire · Washington Technology · USAspending
    • Gemini for Government launches on GenAI.mil: the War Department announces Gemini as the first frontier AI capability on its new platform, for unclassified work at Impact Level 5; an Under Secretary says "AI is America's next Manifest Destiny". Announcing the launch, Hegseth promises a fighting force "more lethal than ever before". War Department · Google Cloud · 404 Media
13. Jan 2026
    Context · Jan 2026 · not directly Google

    Hegseth's AI strategy commits the Department to becoming an "AI-first" warfighting force. DefenseScoop · GovCIO Media

    The memo calls for "wartime speed" and orders standard "any lawful use" language into all AI contracts within 180 days, the clause Anthropic later refused and Google accepted.

14. Feb 2026
    Context · Feb 2026 · not directly Google

    The Pentagon drops Anthropic over its refusal of "any lawful use" terms. Tech Policy Press

    Claude was then the model in the Pentagon's classified systems; Anthropic asked for exceptions on mass domestic surveillance and fully autonomous weapons. On 27 Feb the government orders agencies to stop using Anthropic's products and designates the company a supply-chain risk. Anthropic sues, and the case is still being fought in court.

15. Feb 2026
    Context · Feb 2026 · not directly Google

    U.S. missiles hit an elementary school in Minab, Iran, killing more than 150 people, at least 123 of them children. Al Jazeera (Amnesty) · Bloomberg (investigation) · Gizmodo · Bloomberg (follow-up) · Bloomberg (Amodei)

    The strike comes on 28 Feb, the first day of the U.S.–Israeli war on Iran. An internal Pentagon review later attributes it in part to over-reliance on Palantir's AI-based Maven Smart System.

16. Apr 2026
    • Classified use for "any lawful government purpose": a day after employees deliver a letter urging Pichai to reject classified workloads, Google amends its existing Pentagon contract to cover classified work for "any lawful government purpose". The Information reports that Google agreed to help adjust AI safety settings at the government's request and has no right to veto lawful operational decisions, and that the contract's language on surveillance and autonomous weapons is "not legally binding in any way", according to a legal expert. In March, Fortune reported that the Pentagon refuses company-imposed limits beyond what the law allows. The Information · 9to5Google · Fortune (Mar)
    • Withdrawal from drone-swarm contest: on 11 February, weeks after advancing, Google withdraws from the Pentagon's $100 million challenge to build voice-controlled autonomous drone swarms, citing "resourcing". Bloomberg reports the decision followed an internal ethics review, and revealed it the same day Google's classified deal became public. Bloomberg · ET CIO (free)
17. Sep 2026
    FOIA contracts releasedContracts obtained by The Intercept and LASST show Google agreed to brief the Pentagon on "AI tactics and techniques of adversaries" and to join tabletop exercises. The section on 'unbiased AI principles', monitoring and incident reporting is redacted in full, and its classified-deployment documents have not been released. The Intercept · LASST
18. Sep 2026
    Context · Sep 2026 · not directly Google

    False AI-generated intelligence on a Chinese ship "almost started a war". CNN · The Intercept

    During the Iran war this spring, a Special Operations Command analyst used an AI chatbot to assess intelligence on a Chinese ship in the Middle East. It wrongly concluded the vessel was carrying components of a nuclear weapons programme, and the analyst used AI again to turn the finding into a formal intelligence report that circulated across the military. Aircraft were airborne and troops were preparing to board before officials found the report was false. CNN could not establish which AI tool was used. The Intercept notes the incident drew little of the alarm given to hypothetical AI doomsday scenarios, and almost no calls for limits on the AI labs' most powerful customer, the U.S. military.

19. Sep 2026
    Context · Sep 2026 · not directly Google

    Hegseth announces AutoWarCom, a four-star command to scale autonomous drones, robots and weapons. Democracy Now! · Silicon Valley Maroc

    Announced on 30 Sep in Hegseth's "State of the Force" address at Quantico, the Autonomous Warfare Command is meant to spread autonomous and robotic systems across the joint force in what he calls "the fastest peacetime shift in modern military history". The 2027 budget request seeks about $54B for the Defense Autonomous Warfare Group, up from about $226M, and close to $74B across all drone and counter-drone lines; Congress has yet to approve it. Pentagon Directive 3000.09 requires only "appropriate levels of human judgment" over the use of force, which critics say leaves room for machines to select and attack targets without a human approving each strike. Amnesty International calls for a ban on such weapons. A legal expert cited by The Information says the autonomous-weapons language in Google's classified contract is not legally binding (Apr 2026).

1. Apr 2018
   Maven letterAbout 4,000 employees sign an internal letter opposing Project Maven, and about a dozen resign. Google drops Maven in June. Arms Control Association
2. Apr 2026
   Letter against classified workloads: around 1,000 signatures

   "We want to see AI benefit humanity; not to see it being used in inhumane or extremely harmful ways. This includes lethal autonomous weapons and mass surveillance but extends beyond. Currently, the only way to guarantee that Google does not become associated with such harms is to reject any classified workloads. Otherwise, such uses may occur without our knowledge or the power to stop them.

   Making the wrong call right now would cause irreparable damage to Google's reputation, business, and role in the world."

   — Letter to Sundar Pichai, 27 Apr 2026 · full letter (PDF, published by Bloomberg)

   The letter is delivered with more than 600 signatures, mostly from DeepMind and Cloud staff, and Google signs the deal the next day. By early May it has around 1,000 signatures, according to a DeepMind researcher speaking to Fortune. Fortune · Washington Post · Boston Globe · The Information
3. May 2026
   DeepMind UK union voteGoogle DeepMind UK staff vote to seek CWU and Unite recognition over military AI. Business Insider
4. Jun – Jul 2026
   Resignations over the classified dealRené Mayrhofer, Alex Turner

1. Feb 2025
   EFF on the pledge removalEFF criticises Google for dropping its commitment not to build AI for weapons and surveillance. EFF
2. Sep 2026
   FOIA lawsuit

   "The same technology we saw autonomously hacking websites on the open internet weeks ago is being used to inform DoD decision-making. The public deserves insight into how and under what constraints the Department is using this technology."

   — Vivian Dong, Programs Director, LASST · The Intercept

   LASST and The Intercept use FOIA litigation to force disclosure of the Pentagon's AI contracts; Google's classified contract is still awaited. LASST · The Intercept

1. Aug 2019
   Free Anthos trial for CBPGoogle pushes through an exception so CBP can begin testing its then-new "hybrid-cloud product Anthos" ahead of other customers. Business Insider
2. Oct 2020
   Google AI for the virtual border wallDocuments show that in August 2020 CBP accepted a proposal to use Google Cloud for its innovation team, including with imagery from Anduril-made surveillance towers. Google's name is not on the contract: it runs through the reseller Thundercat Technology. The Intercept
3. Oct 2021
   Contracts through intermediariesBusiness Insider reports that Google was involved in "at least four contracts with CBP, all through third-party contractors" when its Cloud CEO told staff, in October 2020, that its technology would not be used for immigration enforcement at the southern border. Business Insider · CNBC
4. Sep 2022
   More DHS contracts surfaceBusiness Insider finds at least six DHS contracts through third parties since September 2021, two of them with CBP (via resellers Thundercat Technology and Panamerica Computers). It notes that working through third parties sidesteps "the public scrutiny that comes with contracts explicitly in their name". Business Insider
5. Oct 2024
   Vertex AI a "game-changer"CBP's chief software officer calls Vertex AI, which lets staff search across disparate data sources, "an absolute game-changer". FedScoop
6. Apr 2025
   MAGE: the CBP data hub

   "Google, the documents show, will play a critical role stitching those services together by operating a central repository for video surveillance data."

   — The Intercept

   Five years after Google Cloud's CEO told staff its technology would not be used for immigration enforcement at the southern border, a draft CBP plan to add AI detection to surveillance towers in the Tucson Sector routes camera data into Google Cloud (MAGE), which also hosts Equitus's AI analysis tool. The contract buys tools from IBM and Equitus; Google says it is "not on the contract", adding that customers and partners can buy its off-the-shelf products for their own use. The Intercept says this points to a reseller, and that CBP's use still depends on a constant connection to Google's infrastructure. How CBP pays for its Google Cloud environment, and when the draft was written, are not public. The Intercept · Wired
7. Sep 2025
   Student data disclosed to ICEAt the end of March 2025, ICE's Homeland Security Investigations sent Google an administrative subpoena for the Gmail account of Amandla Thomas-Johnson, a Cornell PhD student who had briefly attended a pro-Palestine protest. Google complied without notifying him first and told him only weeks later, in early May, by which time he had left the U.S. Google's lawyer said it handed over basic subscriber information, not message content or location; the subpoena sought IP addresses, physical address and session times. ICE had asked Google not to notify him, but the request was not enforceable, and EFF says none of Google's exceptions applied. Another Cornell student, Momodou Taal, received advance notice of similar subpoenas, which ICE later withdrew. The Intercept · EFF
8. Oct 2025
   ICE-tracking app removedDays after Apple pulls ICEBlock under DOJ pressure, Google removes the similar app Red Dot from the Play Store, telling 404 Media it removed apps sharing the location of a "vulnerable group". Google says it received no DOJ request. 404 Media
9. Sep 2026
   DHS Cumulus awardDHS awards Google Public Sector a potential $875.6M single-award contract under Cumulus, the first time the department has bought cloud services centrally for all its agencies rather than agency by agency. It is the third Cumulus award, after AWS (potential $2.6B, June) and Oracle ($568M, August). SAM.gov · FedTech · Washington Technology

1. Aug 2019
   #NoGCPforCBPDays after the CBP Anthos exception, and ahead of an expected CBP bid for a "massive cloud computing contract", workers petition Google to commit publicly not to work with CBP, ICE or the refugee resettlement office, citing its AI Principles and the safety of colleagues from targeted communities. NPR · Data Center Dynamics · #NoGCPforCBP petition · Business Insider
2. Feb 2026
   Googlers Against ICE petition

   "We are vehemently opposed to Google's partnerships with DHS, CBP, and ICE. We consider it our leadership's ethical and policy-bound responsibility to disclose all contracts and collaboration with CBP and ICE, and to divest from these partnerships."

   — Googlers Against ICE petition

   Wired reports more than 800 employee and contractor signatures within days, and CNBC nearly a thousand; organisers later cite 1,000+. Wired · CNBC · Googlers Against ICE · Petition
3. Ongoing
   In scope for all three worker campaignsGoogle's work with DHS, ICE and CBP falls within the scope of every worker group organising against Google's military and surveillance work, alongside the dedicated Googlers Against ICE campaign. No Tech for Apartheid · GDM Union · Coalition of Concerned AI Staff

1. Oct 2025
   App removal challengedThe Business & Human Rights Resource Centre publishes allegations that Google enables immigrant surveillance while removing community ICE-tracking apps, with Google's response. Business & Human Rights Resource Centre
2. Apr 2026
   EFF asks state attorneys general to investigateEFF files complaints with the California and New York Attorneys General, asking them to investigate Google for deceptive trade practices over the broken notification promise. EFF

1. Jun 2022
   Foundry on Google CloudGoogle Cloud and Palantir announce that Foundry, "its fully managed SaaS platform", will be available on Google Cloud and the Google Cloud Marketplace (announced Jun 16). Google Cloud
2. Apr 2025
   Context · Apr 2025 · not directly Google

   ICE awards Palantir a $30M contract to build ImmigrationOS. American Immigration Council · Red Team News

   The platform is designed to track people through the immigration lifecycle and prioritise enforcement. Immigration and civil-rights groups, including the American Immigration Council, criticise it for enabling automated deportation profiling.

3. Jul 2025
   Context · Jul 2025 · not directly Google

   A UN Special Rapporteur finds reasonable grounds to believe Palantir supplied the Israeli military. UN (A/HRC/59/23), para. 42

   Francesca Albanese's report cites predictive policing technology, military-software infrastructure and Palantir's AI Platform for automated battlefield decision-making, and points to executive-level knowledge.

4. Jun 2026
   Expanded partnership on Google Cloud MarketplacePalantir announces two-way BigQuery–Foundry integration and Gemini–AIP connectivity. Business Wire

1. Feb 2026
   Petition cites ImmigrationOSThe Googlers Against ICE petition cites Google Cloud powering ImmigrationOS, and its factsheet lists the 2022 Palantir partnership alongside Google's CBP contracts. CNBC · Googlers Against ICE
2. Ongoing
   In scope for all three worker campaignsThe Palantir partnership falls within the scope of every worker group organising against Google's military and surveillance work. No Tech for Apartheid · GDM Union · Coalition of Concerned AI Staff

No external campaign specifically targeting this partnership was found.

1. Oct 2025
   Lockheed Martin and Google Public Sector announce the collaborationAnnounced on 29 Oct: Gemini comes to the Lockheed Martin AI Factory in "secure, on-premises, and air-gapped environments", unclassified systems first, then classified ones. Google Cloud press release · Lockheed Martin

1. Ongoing
   In scope for all three worker campaignsThe Lockheed Martin partnership falls within the scope of every worker group organising against Google's military and surveillance work. No Tech for Apartheid · GDM Union · Coalition of Concerned AI Staff

No external campaign specifically targeting this partnership was found.

1. Apr 2025
   National cybersecurity centre with Google CloudAfter an official U.S. visit by Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed, Deputy Ruler of Abu Dhabi and the UAE's National Security Advisor, the UAE Cyber Security Council and Google Cloud launch a Global Cyber Security Centre of Excellence in Abu Dhabi. Mandiant, part of Google Cloud, delivers a government-endorsed training programme. Google Cloud commits to significant investment in cloud capabilities in the country, with the Council's backing. Google Cloud · Dubai Eye
2. Apr 2025
   "Over 25 products" in developmentAt Google Cloud Next, the UAE Cyber Security Council says more than 25 products are being developed in collaboration with Google. WAM
3. Apr 2025
   Context · Apr 2025 · not directly Google

   Analysts describe the UAE racing to weaponise AI. War on the Rocks

   The authors note the UAE's past military interventions in Yemen, Libya and Sudan, and warn that AI could embolden further adventurism abroad if it is seen to lower the costs.

4. May 2025
   Context · May 2025 · not directly GoogleThe ICJ dismisses Sudan's genocide case against the UAE on jurisdictional grounds, without ruling on the merits. eNCA
5. Jul 2025
   Context · Jul 2025 · analysis, not a contract event

   Prism compares Google Cloud's UAE deal to Project Nimbus and argues it could extend beyond cybersecurity. Prism

   It notes that the UAE has reportedly supplied the RSF with weapons, advanced drones, technology and logistics, while rapidly integrating AI into its own military.

6. Sep 2026
   Context · Sep 2026 · not directly Google

   Anthropic disrupts a UAE-linked AI influence operation targeting UN experts critical of the UAE's role in Sudan. AFP via Citizen Digital

   Anthropic links the campaign with high confidence to UAE government officials. It says the operation used Claude to compile dossiers on UN Special Rapporteurs and to ghost-write testimony for the UN Human Rights Council that avoided mentioning the UAE.

No employee organising specifically targeting this partnership was found.

No external campaign specifically targeting this partnership was found.

1. Dec 2020
   Cloud region with AramcoA subsidiary of state oil company Aramco signs a strategic alliance with Google Cloud. Google will build and operate a cloud region in the kingdom, and a new joint company will sell its services locally. Aramco · CNBC
2. Nov 2023
   Dammam region opensGoogle Cloud opens its Dammam region, forecasting a USD 10.9 billion boost to the Saudi economy by 2030. Google Cloud
3. Oct 2024
   AI hub with the Public Investment FundGoogle Cloud and the kingdom's sovereign wealth fund announce a global AI hub near Dammam, including joint research on Arabic language models and Saudi-specific AI applications. W.Media
4. Apr 2025
   Context · Apr 2025 · not directly Google

   Analysts describe Saudi Arabia racing to weaponise AI. War on the Rocks

   The authors note Saudi Arabia's past military interventions, including airstrikes and proxy war in Yemen, and warn that AI could embolden further adventurism abroad if it is seen to lower the costs.

5. May 2025
   $10 billion joint investmentGoogle Cloud and the PIF commit $10 billion to the hub, launched with the state-backed AI company Humain as an expansion of the Dammam region. Google Cloud

No employee organising specifically targeting this partnership was found.

1. Jan – Apr 2021
   Rights groups ask for Google's due diligenceAccess Now and CIPPIC, then Human Rights Watch, ask what human-rights due diligence Google carried out, how it will protect the data, how it will vet staff with access, and how it will respond to Saudi government data requests. Google replies that an independent human-rights assessment was conducted and steps taken, without saying who carried it out, what it found or what the steps were; SMEX's letter goes unanswered. Google later confirms it will not publish the assessment. Access Now letter · Google's reply · HRW letter · Google's reply · SMEX · DCD
2. May 2021
   39 groups and experts urge Google to halt the Saudi regionSignatories including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Access Now, ALQST, EFF and SMEX ask Google to halt the region until it has carried out due diligence with affected groups and published the findings, and to set red lines on government requests it will not comply with. Human Rights Watch · Amnesty
3. Jun 2022
   Shareholder Proposal 13SumOfUs asks Alphabet's board to commission a report on locating data centres in countries of significant human-rights concern. Twenty rights groups urge shareholders to vote yes, noting the Saudi assessment was never published; the proponents say Google refused to share it even privately. The board recommends voting against, and the proposal fails. Alphabet proxy · Letter to shareholders · Proponents' SEC filing
4. May 2023
   Pressure before the Alphabet AGMAhead of Alphabet's annual meeting, Ekō launches a petition urging Google to cancel the Saudi data centre, saying the company has still not answered the rights groups' questions. Ekō

1. Mar 2020
   Cloud region agreement with the Qatar Free Zones AuthorityThe Qatar Free Zones Authority announces that Google Cloud has signed its first strategic collaboration agreement in the Middle East with it, to launch a cloud region in Doha. Business Wire · ITWeb
2. Oct 2022
   Government-wide framework agreementThe Ministry of Communications and Information Technology awards Google Cloud a framework agreement for cloud computing services across the government sector, covering data storage, network management and AI. It is announced during a visit by Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian, alongside a supplementary agreement with the Free Zones Authority on a smart free zone. Qatar News Agency · Al-Monitor · Edge Middle East
3. May 2023
   Doha cloud region opensGoogle Cloud opens the Doha region in the presence of the communications minister and the Free Zones Authority chairman, who describes it as a milestone in a partnership that began with the 2020 agreement. Gulf Times
4. Dec 2025
   Government framework renewedThe ministry renews its 2022 framework agreement with Google Cloud, now focused on generative AI across government entities, and names Google Cloud among the partners of its GovAI programme. TechAfrica News · The Peninsula
5. Dec 2025
   Qatar University AI hubQatar University announces a collaboration with Google Cloud, including an AI innovation hub with TPUs and Vertex AI, and Gemini Enterprise across the university. The Peninsula
6. Sep 2026
   Agentic AI for governmentAt the Google Cloud Summit in Doha, the ministry calls its framework agreement with Google Cloud the foundation for bringing agentic AI into core government operations, and launches an AI lab with Google. Channel Post MEA

No employee organising specifically targeting this partnership was found.

No external campaign specifically targeting this partnership was found.