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.

In a revelation that has raised eyebrows across the tech and international communities, leaked documents have unveiled a clandestine agreement between Israel and tech giants Google and Amazon. The deal, reportedly involving a “winking mechanism,” was designed to notify Israel in real-time whenever foreign governments or law enforcement accessed data from their platforms.

This covert arrangement enabled the Israeli government to receive coded financial signals from the companies, alerting them to which country was requesting sensitive data. By exploiting this system, Israel could bypass legal barriers and gag orders that typically restrict such disclosures. For instance, if U.S. authorities, identified by the dialing code +1, sought access, Google or Amazon would discreetly transfer 1,000 shekels (equivalent to approximately $308) to Israel as an alert. Similarly, other jurisdictions were denoted by specific sums, such as 3,900 shekels for Italy, whose dialing code is +39.

In cases where legal constraints were so tight that even suggesting the origin of the data request was prohibited, the companies were required to make a substantial payment of 100,000 shekels (around $30,000) to Israel within 24 hours of fulfilling the request.

This secretive strategy stems from Israel’s longstanding fears of losing control over crucial national data stored on international servers. Such concerns have intensified amidst growing scrutiny of Western tech companies’ roles in surveillance and military operations, particularly in conflict regions like Gaza.

The arrangement has not gone without internal controversy. Within Google, employee unrest surfaced last year, with protests demanding the company sever ties with the Nimbus contract over concerns related to human rights.

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.