A recent investigation led by The Guardian has uncovered a covert system built into the $1.2 billion Project Nimbus cloud computing contract between Israel and tech giants Google and Amazon.
According to leaked documents, Israel demanded that both companies implement a secretive “winking mechanism” to provide real-time notifications whenever data stored on their platforms was accessed by foreign governments or law enforcement.
The arrangement reportedly allows the Israeli government to receive coded payments from the companies indicating which country requested sensitive data, circumventing legal restrictions and gag orders that normally prevent disclosure. For example, if U.S. authorities (dialing code +1) compelled access, Google or Amazon would send a payment of 1,000 shekels (around $308) to Israel as a covert alert. Similar sums correspond to other jurisdictions, such as 3,900 shekels for Italy (+39).
Further obscuring transparency, if the companies were forbidden by law from even hinting at the source of the data request, they were obliged to pay Israel a flat rate of 100,000 shekels (approximately $30,000) within 24 hours of complying with the request.
The secret code was put in place due to longstanding Israeli concerns about losing control of critical national data stored on foreign servers—a fear heightened by recent scrutiny of Western tech involvement in surveillance and military operations in conflict zones like Gaza.
Internal opposition also erupted among Google employees, with protests last year demanding a withdrawal from the Nimbus contract over human rights concerns.
Beyond the winking mechanism, leaked contract documents reveal that Google and Amazon are barred from suspending or restricting Israel’s access to cloud platforms—even if future policies might find Israeli military or intelligence operations in breach of company terms. Violations of this clause could result in heavy financial penalties or legal consequences.
An Israeli finance ministry spokesperson declined to confirm the details but said the companies are “bound by stringent contractual obligations that safeguard Israel’s vital interests.”
This latest revelation adds to growing debate over the role of tech giants in enabling or complicating complex geopolitical conflicts and surveillance practices, spotlighting the opaque alliances formed in the name of national security.
