A pro-Palestine employee group at Microsoft, No Azure for Apartheid, claims the company has quietly implemented a new policy on its internal Exchange servers. This policy blocks employee emails containing the words “Palestine,” “Gaza,” or “genocide.”
The automated filter, which reportedly prevents such emails from reaching recipients without notification, was first noticed on Wednesday.
Microsoft has recently faced significant internal unrest due to its collaboration with the Israeli military and government during the ongoing assault on Gaza. The company has seen its events interrupted by employee protests concerning its provision of cloud services and other vital infrastructure used by the Israeli military.
Now, it appears the tech giant is tightening its control over internal discussions. According to the employee group, the terms “Israel” and “P4lestine” do not trigger this blocking mechanism. Microsoft has not yet responded to requests for comment regarding these claims.
Last week, Microsoft moved to manage the fallout from its alleged role in the Gaza conflict. Before its annual Build event, a conference for developers and tech fans globally, the company released a report. This report stated that an internal investigation found Microsoft’s operations had not caused harm to civilians in Gaza.
Microsoft’s supply of technology to the Israeli Ministry of Defense (MOD) first came to light through reports from Drop Site News, The Guardian, and +972 magazine. These reports were based on a collection of internal documents. They showed that Microsoft actively pursued deals with the Israeli defense ministry, giving them special proposals and big discounts on cloud and AI services.
These agreements worked out and escalated over many months, making Microsoft a key technology provider during Israeli military actions in Gaza.