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A Microsoft employee group advocating for Palestinian rights, No Azure for Apartheid, has alleged that the company has introduced a silent email filter. This filter reportedly blocks internal messages containing terms such as “Palestine,” “Gaza,” or “genocide” from being delivered, without notifying either the sender or the recipient.
The group claims that this policy was discovered last Wednesday, shortly after Microsoft’s annual Build developer conference, which itself saw interruptions from internal protesters voicing opposition to the company’s business relationship with the Israeli military.
Escalating Internal Tensions
The tech giant has been under fire from its own workforce for providing cloud services and infrastructure to the Israeli Ministry of Defense (MOD), especially during the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Internal documents obtained and reported by outlets like Drop Site News, The Guardian, and +972 Magazine show that Microsoft offered Israel significant discounts and custom deals on cloud and AI services. These agreements, evolving over several months, eventually made Microsoft a major tech supplier during Israel’s military actions in Gaza.
Microsoft has not denied the accuracy of these documents but released a report last week stating that its operations had “not caused harm to civilians in Gaza,” according to its internal investigation.
Filtered Words and Protest Fallout
Despite the controversial filter, the group notes that emails containing the terms “Israel” or even a stylized version like “Palestine” are not blocked. Microsoft has so far remained silent and has not issued any public comment on the claims regarding internal email restrictions.
Tensions reached a boiling point during the Build event. On Monday, an employee who disrupted CEO Satya Nadella’s keynote was reportedly terminated.
The next day, another worker interrupted Jay Parikh, head of CoreAI, shouting:
“Jay! My people are suffering! Cut ties with Israel! No Azure for apartheid! Free, free Palestine!” before being escorted out by security.
Technology Deals With the Israeli Military
Reports based on internal Microsoft documents reveal that the company approached the Israeli military with offers soon after the October 7, 2023, attack. Anticipating increased defense spending, Microsoft positioned itself as a preferred vendor. Over time, the Israeli military became one of Microsoft’s top 500 clients globally.
These revelations have added fuel to ongoing protests by employees who argue that Microsoft is complicit in military operations that have led to civilian harm.
