[News] Openly Pro-Israel US Tech Group Now Has Control Over UK’s Most Sensitive National Security Data

[Anti-Imperialist News]

orinocotribune.com
<https://orinocotribune.com/openly-pro-israel-tech-group-now-has-control-over-uks-most-sensitive-national-security-data/>
Openly Pro-Israel Tech Group Now Has Control Over UK’s Most Sensitive
National Security Data
Alan MacLeod - March 5, 2023
------------------------------

[image: Artwork of leading Zionists in the international imperialist
system. Photo: MintPress News.]

Artwork of leading Zionists in the international imperialist system. Photo:
MintPress News.

This is the story of how a multibillionaire who has dedicated his life to
advancing the cause of the Israeli national security state is now in
control of Great Britain’s most sensitive public and military data.

In 2020, software giant Oracle won
<https://chiefit.me/the-uk-ministry-of-defence-selects-oracle-cloud-infrastructure/>
a
gigantic contract with the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) to
provide it with cloud infrastructure, digital assistance, data
visualization software, mobile hub and development tools. The military is
far from the only British institution entrusting its most sensitive data to
the Texas-based firm, however. The Home Office, Office of National
Statistics and National Health Service, among others, also rely on Oracle
databases to function.

For years before signing the MoD agreement, Oracle founder Larry Ellison
had been ingratiating himself with the British establishment, employing all
manner of well-connected individuals at his foundation. Among these
included media executive and father-in-law of former Prime Minister Boris
Johnson, Matthew Symonds, who earned
<https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/943269827/202013219349100626/full>
over
$600,000 per year as the executive director of the Larry Ellison
Foundation. Richard Meredith, a longtime director of the U.K.’s Foreign and
Commonwealth Office, was also snapped up at a similar salary to become
deputy executive director.

Many other well-connected British government officials, including Vel
Gnanendran, went straight from the Larry Ellison Foundation into the
Foreign and Commonwealth Office and worked there at the time that the body
signed off on the lucrative Oracle contracts. For years, the Larry Ellison
Foundation also bankrolled
<https://institute.global/sites/default/files/2022-09/Tony%20Blair%20Insitute%20for%20Global%20Change%20Annual%20Accounts%20Year%20Ended%2031%20December%202021.pdf>
the
Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, the former U.K. prime minister’s
new political project.

Yet, just after as the partnership with the Ministry of Defence was
secured, Ellison abruptly shut down his foundation, prompting speculation
that it had fulfilled its purpose.


*“OUR MISSION TO SUPPORT ISRAEL” *Why this should be of concern is that
both Ellison and key Oracle figures have made clear that their business
model is less about making money, and more focused on furthering the
interests of the Israeli national security state.

Furthermore, few people realize how important Oracle is to the functioning
of the modern world. It is the third-largest software company globally. Yet
because it sells its products to businesses and governments rather than
consumers, it is far less known than competitors such as Microsoft or
Amazon. Nevertheless, it is as important to the modern hi-tech economy as
its rivals, its software and databases powering the likes of Netflix, Zoom,
financial corporations such as JPMorgan Chase, as well as a myriad of
educational institutions.

While opening a new data center in Jerusalem in 2021, the company’s
Israeli-American CEO, Safra Catz, laid out Oracle’s purpose, stating
<https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3912017,00.html>,

We are not flexible regarding our mission, and our commitment to Israel is
second to none. This is a free world and I love my employees, and if they
don’t agree with our mission to support the State of Israel, then maybe we
aren’t the right company for them. Larry [Ellison] and I are publicly
committed to Israel and devote personal time to the country, and no one
should be surprised by that.

Catz made the comments in response to a question about Israel’s poor human
rights record and the rebellion
<https://www.mintpressnews.com/recruits-refuse-work-google-amazon-involvement-israel-war-crimes/281611/>
of
Silicon Valley employees refusing to facilitate the country’s war crimes.
In 2017, Catz was offered
<https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-04-12/trump-team-talked-to-oracle-s-safra-catz-about-an-administration-post>
the
position of U.S. Director of National Intelligence.
[image: Safra Catz, Oracle’s CEO, poses with Alon Ben (left), CEO of
Tel-Aviv-based Oracle data partner, Bynet]Safra Catz, Oracle’s CEO, poses
with Alon Ben (left), CEO of Tel-Aviv-based Oracle data partner, Bynet

Ellison, if anything, is even more forthright in his support for the
Israeli government and its agenda. The billionaire – currently the
fourth-richest <https://www.forbes.com/real-time-billionaires/#282656e03d78>
individual
in the world – has bankrolled the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) for years,
giving tens of millions of dollars to the Friends of the IDF, including the
largest single donation the organization has ever received. In 2017 alone,
he pledged $16.6 million to build a new training facility for IDF soldiers
defending, in his words
<https://www.timesofisrael.com/record-53-8-million-raised-for-idf-soldiers-at-beverly-hills-gala/>,
“our home”. As Ellison explained:

Through all of the perilous times since Israel’s founding, we have called
on the brave men and women of the IDF to defend our home. In my mind, there
is no greater honor than supporting some of the bravest people in the
world, and I thank Friends of the IDF for allowing us to celebrate and
support these soldiers year after year. We should do all we can to show
these heroic soldiers that they are not alone.”

This was far from his first donation to the organization. Three years
previously, he gave
<https://variety.com/2014/scene/news/haim-sabans-friends-of-the-israel-defense-forces-gala-raises-record-33-million-1201350950/amp/>
$9
million at a star-studded gala – the largest donation on a record-breaking
night for the FIDF.

The big tech mogul also has a direct hand in furthering the Israeli
settlement project. In 2007, he met with then-Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni
to pledge
<https://www.haaretz.com/2007-08-10/ty-article/oracles-larry-ellison-visits-israel/0000017f-e68e-df5f-a17f-ffdefdf00000>
half
a million dollars in support to the Israeli border town of Sderot.

But if Ellison can count Livni as a friend, then Benjamin Netanyahu is
virtually family. The pair have been close for many years; Ellison even
flew Netanyahu out to his private Hawaiian island to vacation together.
There, he offered
<https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2021-09-16/ty-article/.highlight/larry-ellison-netanyahu-trial-witness-offers-ex-pm-seat-on-oracle-board/0000017f-dbd9-d3a5-af7f-fbff9ae80000>
the
embattled prime minister a seat on Oracle’s board, replete with a salary of
$450,000.

Netanyahu had previously gone to Ellison, encouraging
<https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2021-08-30/ty-article/.premium/netanyahu-met-with-key-trial-witness-while-vacationing-on-his-private-island/0000017f-f6df-d5bd-a17f-f6ffdcfb0000>
him
to buy out the struggling *Yedioth Ahronoth* newspaper in an attempt to
change the outlet from an adversary of his political project into a
mouthpiece for his Likud Party.

Unsurprisingly, Oracle has signed numerous deals with the Israeli national
security state.

Egyptian engineer Dr. Mahmoud Sobhy quit his job with the software company
Oracle this week in solidarity with the Palestinian struggle.

He quit after learning that Oracle Founder Larry Ellison annually donates
millions of dollars to support Israel's occupation forces.
pic.twitter.com/XOSvrssNSD <https://t.co/XOSvrssNSD>

— MintPress News (@MintPressNews) January 24, 2023
<https://twitter.com/MintPressNews/status/1617895990840942592?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>


*“THE ISRAELIS THINK THEY CONTROL THE FOREIGN OFFICE. AND THEY DO!” *In
recent years, Israel and pro-Israel groups have managed to amass
considerable influence over U.K. government policy. A measure of this is
the fact that, by 2021, one-third of the cabinet – including then-Prime
Minister Boris Johnson – were directly funded
<https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2021-05-22-revealed-third-of-british-cabinet-including-boris-johnson-has-been-funded-by-israel-or-pro-israel-lobby-groups/>
by
the Israeli government or pro-Israel organizations. Chief amongst these
groups is the Conservative Friends of Israel, who have claimed
<https://www.jpost.com/jerusalem-report/the-conservative-friends-of-israel-620702>
that
80% of Tory members of parliament belong to their organization.

The Israel lobby has been able to shape government policy, to the point
where they blocked Boris Johnson’s appointment of Alan Duncan to the post
of Middle East Minister. Johnson, according to Duncan, was “indignant”.
“They shouldn’t behave like this”, the prime minister reportedly said
<https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2021-06-04-former-british-minister-the-israelis-think-they-control-the-foreign-office-and-they-do/>
about
the Israelis, but acquiesced to their demands. “The Israelis think they
control the Foreign Office. And they do”, Duncan later wrote
<https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2021-06-04-former-british-minister-the-israelis-think-they-control-the-foreign-office-and-they-do/>.
Home Secretary Priti Patel (a longtime champion of the apartheid state)
also secretly flew to Israel for “off the radar” talks with Netanyahu – a
huge breach of ministerial codes, for which she later resigned.

The Israeli Embassy also played a key role in the coordinated smear
campaign demonizing Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, an operation that helped
to ensure Johnson’s electoral victory in 2019.

In addition to this, there have also been national security questions
raised about the extent to which Israeli businessmen have bought up key
British industries. Last year, for example, Patrick Drahi’s attempt to
purchase 18% of BT, the formerly state-owned telecoms giant that owns and
controls much of the country’s telecommunications infrastructure, was put on
hold
<https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/markets/article-11137023/UK-approves-Drahis-18-stake-BT-national-security-probe.html>
due
to concerns over national security.

That a company like Oracle that defines itself so explicitly as pro-Israel
raises serious concerns over the nature of the work they do for the United
Kingdom or any other nation. How can the Ministry of Defence or the Home
Office’s data be considered uncompromised in these hands?

[insert


*THE CIA IN ALL BUT NAME *“The Oracle database is used to keep track of
basically everything,” Ellison once said
<https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2020/08/tiktoks-latest-suitor-is-oracle-a-company-with-close-ties-to-cia-and-nsa/>,
adding,

The information about your banks, your checking balance, your savings
balance, is stored in an Oracle database. Your airline reservation is
stored in an Oracle database. What books you bought on Amazon is stored in
an Oracle database. Your profile on Yahoo! is stored in an Oracle database.”

This should be of concern to everyone, as Oracle itself started off as a
project for the Central Intelligence Agency. Indeed, Ellison named his
company after Project Oracle, a 1970s CIA operation he worked on.

“Our very first customer was the Central Intelligence Agency,” Ellison
boasted
<https://www.businessinsider.com/the-cia-made-larry-ellison-a-billionaire-2014-9?r=US&IR=T>,
telling the story of how, in 1977, the CIA commissioned his firm to build
them a database. From there, Ellison immediately began pitching to other
wings of the national security state, and within months had secured
<https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2020/08/tiktoks-latest-suitor-is-oracle-a-company-with-close-ties-to-cia-and-nsa/>
contracts
with Navy Intelligence, Air Force Intelligence and the NSA. The bottomless
pit of money available for the military has helped turn Oracle from a tiny
operation to a $46 billion dollar
<https://www.macrotrends.net/stocks/charts/ORCL/oracle/revenue> per year
behemoth.

One of Oracle’s largest deals came in 2020, when it was part of a
consortium that won
<https://www.mintpressnews.com/cia-big-tech-cloud-computuing-procurement-drive-brings-war-economy/273269/>
a
15-year contract with the CIA and the other 16 U.S. intelligence agencies
said to be with tens of billions of dollars.

Part of the reason the CIA trusts Oracle is that the company’s upper
echelons are filled with ex-CIA executives. A case in point is former CIA
Director and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, who was appointed to the
company’s board
<https://www.oracle.com/corporate/executives/board-of-directors/leon-panetta/>
in
2015. David Carney, who spent 32 years at the agency, rising to become its
third-in-command, also joined
<https://gizmodo.com/larry-ellisons-oracle-started-as-a-cia-project-1636592238>
Oracle,
heading up its information assurance center.

Indeed, on its own website, Oracle aggressively recruits CIA agents, sharing
stories
<https://blogs.oracle.com/jobsatoracle/post/growing-with-intelligence-from-cia-to-oracle>
of
former spooks who have gone on to succeed in its ranks. One of those is
Senior Technical Program Manager Andrew C. “As an Intelligence Officer in
the US Navy, as well as in the CIA, Andrew has had to lead, build teams,
and work on fast-breaking projects, all things Oracle requires on a regular
basis,” Oracle writes
<https://blogs.oracle.com/jobsatoracle/post/growing-with-intelligence-from-cia-to-oracle>,
before actively encouraging other agents to apply,

Now that you’ve heard about Andrew’s experience, are you ready to join
Oracle National Security Region team? If you hold a U.S. Government Top
Secret SCI or higher clearance, click here to check out our latest
opportunities. Once you’ve found an opening that fits your talent, passion,
skills, and background, apply for us to consider you. Create the future
with us.

[image: Oracle, a firm that stores reams of your sensitive data, openly
boasts of its cozy ties to the CIA.]Oracle, a firm that stores reams of
your sensitive data, openly boasts of its cozy ties to the CIA.

The revolving door between Oracle and the CIA also swings the other way,
with Oracle staff finding employment
<https://www.linkedin.com/in/chantel-c-68765a8b/details/experience/> in
Langley, VA.

The Silicon Valley giant also works closely with the U.S. military. “Oracle
Cloud is advancing Department of Defense mission success,” it boasts
<https://www.oracle.com/industries/government/us-defense/> on its website.
Oracle notes that it is “delivering real-time intel to warfighters,”
thereby “securing command and control at the tactical edge.” Thus, by the
company’s own telling, it is a centerpiece of both the
military-industrial-complex and the national security state. Big media
outlets agree: “Larry Ellison is a billionaire today thanks to the CIA”
concluded
<https://www.businessinsider.com/the-cia-made-larry-ellison-a-billionaire-2014-9?r=US&IR=T>
Business
Insider.

*SURVEILLANCE STATE *
If Ellison had his way, however, Oracle would be an even more crucial part
of a greatly expanded national security state. In the immediate wake of the
September 11 attacks, he flew in for a series of meetings with top Bush-era
officials, including NSA chief Michael Hayden and Attorney General John
Ashcroft. There, he likely pitched an idea he had been promoting for some
time: a single, comprehensive national security database that collected
every piece of information possible to identify someone, from thumbprints
and iris scans to medical history and social security details. “The single
greatest step we Americans could take to make life tougher for terrorists
would be to ensure that all the information in myriad government databases
was copied into a single, comprehensive national security database,” he
insisted
<https://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/31/opinion/IHT-a-single-national-security-database.html>
.

In the end, even the Bush administration balked at such a sweeping project.
Nevertheless, Oracle has deeply ingratiated itself into the world of
policing and surveillance. In 2012, at the height of an anti-NATO
demonstration, U.S. law enforcement used
<https://theintercept.com/2021/05/25/oracle-social-media-surveillance-protests-endeca/>
Oracle’s
Endeca software to match protestors’ tweets with data about their criminal
records, 911 calls and other information to pre-arrest demonstration
leaders before the action took off.
[image: Larry Ellison gestures during a keynote address at the Oracle Open
World Conference in 2005. Photo: Sakuma/AP.]Larry Ellison gestures during a
keynote address at the Oracle Open World Conference in 2005. Photo:
Sakuma/AP.

Since then, Oracle has sold the same or similar software to authorities in
Europe, South America, the Middle East and China. Job listings for
developers at Guantánamo Bay also note
<https://theintercept.com/2021/05/25/oracle-social-media-surveillance-protests-endeca/>
that
familiarity with Endeca and Oracle software is a desired trait.

Oracle is far from the only Silicon Valley giant with questionable ties to
intelligence. Here at MintPress, we have exposed how Facebook’s top ranks
are filled with former FBI and CIA
<https://www.mintpressnews.com/national-security-search-engine-google-ranks-cia-agents/281490/>
agents,
how ex-Israeli spies have found roles
<https://www.mintpressnews.com/revealed-former-israeli-spies-working-top-jobs-google-facebook-amazon/282413/>
working
for Microsoft and Google, and uncovered what we termed
<https://www.mintpressnews.com/nato-tiktok-pipeline-why-tiktok-employing-national-security-agents/280336/>
a
“NATO to TikTok pipeline.”

Yet the openness with which Oracle and Ellison work with the Israeli state
to further its interests should be highly concerning to those working in
national security. Israel already has a long history
<https://www.mintpressnews.com/revealed-former-israeli-spies-working-top-jobs-google-facebook-amazon/282413/>
of
using its tech industry to surveil and eavesdrop on foreign governments.

Can it really be a wise idea for the United Kingdom to entrust its most
sensitive government, health and defense data to a company with such close
ties to the Israeli government?

So far, Great Britain has overlooked the potential grave national security
threat this poses. Surely this cannot continue indefinitely.

(MintPress
<https://www.mintpressnews.com/pro-israel-oracle-larry-ellison-control-uk-sensitive-national-security-data/283555/>
)
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