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Microsoft is reportedly introducing a new internal mechanism that allows employees to report concerns about how the company’s technologies are developed and deployed, as pressure mounts over its involvement in Israel’s military and surveillance operations.
According to a report in Geekwire, Microsoft president Brad Smith has sent a memo to all employees in this regard. In the message to employees, Smith said that the company is expanding its internal “Integrity Portal” to include a new feature called “Trusted Technology Review.” The tool will allow employees confidentially flag potential policy violations or raise ethical concerns about the company’s technology use — in a process similar to how workers currently report workplace misconduct, security incidents, or legal issues.
Smith said that Microsoft is also strengthening its pre-contract review process to ensure additional human-rights due diligence on sensitive technology projects.The announcement follows months of internal and external pressure over Israel’s alleged use of Microsoft’s technology in military surveillance activities related to the war in Gaza. Employee groups and activists including -- No Azure for Apartheid -- have accused the company of enabling human rights abuses through its cloud and AI platforms.
Microsoft has repeatedly rejected those claims, stating it remains committed to its human rights principles and does not provide technology that facilitates mass surveillance of civilians.In September, the company confirmed that it had verified elements of a Guardian investigation suggesting that Israel’s Unit 8200 used Microsoft’s Azure cloud to store and analyze large amounts of intercepted Palestinian communications.
Microsoft said it has since cut off access to certain cloud and AI services used by the unit. "“While our review is ongoing, we have found evidence that supports elements of The Guardian’s reporting,” says Smith.
“We therefore have informed Israel Ministry of Defense (IMOD) of Microsoft’s decision to cease and disable specified IMOD subscriptions and their services, including their use of specific cloud storage and AI services and technologies," Smith had then said in a memo. The memo sent by Smith on Wednesday, November 5, follows the September 25 letter. Here is the full text of Smith’s message, obtained by GeekWire.Hello Everyone – You’ll recall that on September 25, I shared with you actions we took after investigating a news story that reported that Azure was being used to store phone call data obtained through mass surveillance of civilians in Gaza and the West Bank. In that message, I also said we’d continue to share lessons learned and how we will apply these going forward. Today I want to share additional steps we are taking to enhance our due diligence and governance processes. This is a part of an ongoing process and, as we continue to learn more, we’ll share further steps with you. Today we are strengthening our diligence processes by expanding how employees can report information and concerns about how Microsoft technology is developed and deployed. These build on our long-established reporting and investigations processes on workplace behavior, legal and ethical concerns, and digital and physical security — all of which make it easy for employees to raise concerns through the Microsoft Integrity Portal. We’re adding a new and easy way for employees to report information about practices that you believe may violate the company’s policies regarding the development and deployment of our technology. This is through a new section in the Microsoft Integrity Portal called “Trusted Technology Review.” Moving forward, if you have information on these topics, simply go to the portal and select the “Trusted Technology Review” when asked for type of report. We will then follow up to address this information. Our standard non-retaliation policy applies and you can raise concerns anonymously. As part of our commitment to ongoing improvement, we are also taking new steps to enhance other aspects of our governance processes. As one step in that work, we are working to strengthen our existing pre-contract review process for evaluating engagements that require additional human rights due diligence.As I’ve shared before, Microsoft is a company guided by principles and ethics. We continue to consider lessons learned and apply them to how we run our business and advance our mission in an increasingly complex world. We’ll continue to listen and learn and share new steps with you along the way. Brad
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