Microsoft are reportedly blocking employee emails containing the words "Palestine" or "Gaza"

Microsoft person "taken measures" to trim "politically focused emails", says spokesperson

Microsoft are reportedly blocking worker interior enactment emails that incorporate the words "Palestine" oregon "Gaza". The study successful question comes from No Azure For Apartheid (NOAA), a radical of Microsoft workers formed to protestation the company's then-alleged supplying of AI tech to the Israeli subject - thing Microsoft person since confirmed, portion besides stating that their ain interior reviews recovered "no grounds to day that Microsoft’s Azure and AI technologies person been utilized to people oregon harm radical successful the struggle successful Gaza."

“NOAA believes this is an effort by Microsoft to soundlessness idiosyncratic escaped code and is simply a censorship enacted by Microsoft enactment to discriminate against Palestinian workers and their allies," spokesperson and erstwhile Microsoft worker Hossam Nasr told The Verge (paywalled) successful a statement. Nasr added that "words similar ‘Israel’ oregon ‘P4lestine’ bash not trigger specified a block".

When asked for remark by The Verge, Microsoft spokesperson Frank Shaw responded with the below:

“Emailing ample numbers of employees astir immoderate taxable not related to enactment is not appropriate. We person an established forum for employees who person opted successful to governmental issues. Over the past mates of days, a fig of politically focused emails person been sent to tens of thousands of employees crossed the institution and we person taken measures to effort and trim those emails to those that person not opted in.”

As The Verge note, the reported email blocks travel a week of worker protests astir the company's dealings with the Israeli military. There person besides been protests during Microsoft's Build developer league this week. On Monday, erstwhile worker Joe Lopez interrupted CEO Satya Nadella’s keynote by shouting “how astir you amusement Israeli warfare crimes are powered by Azure?”, earlier sending emails to "thousands" of colleagues. Microsoft fired Lopez connected the aforesaid day.

The Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions question are presently calling connected the nationalist to boycott Microsoft's wares, including Xbox products similar Game Pass. The BDS organisers see Nasr and Abdo Mohamed, different erstwhile Microsoft employee. They were some fired aft organising a vigil for Palestinians killed successful Gaza extracurricular the company’s Washington HQ.