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The internet is not happy with Microsoft’s contract with ICE

Employees and customers alike are criticizing the tech company for working with the anti-immigration agency.

 

Alex Dalbey

IRL

Posted on Jun 19, 2018   Updated on May 21, 2021, 1:11 pm CDT

A January blog post, in which Microsoft says it is “proud to support” Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) with its Azure cloud service, has resurfaced, causing widespread anger on the internet.

Government contracts are nothing new for Microsoft, but a contract with ICE—the government agency currently best known for separating immigrant children from their families and holding them in camps—is a different story. When the announcement of collaboration was rediscovered on Twitter, users blew up in anger at Microsoft for its complicity in ICE’s actions.

https://twitter.com/yonatanzunger/status/1008599655142154241

According to Gizmodo, some Microsoft employees weren’t even aware of the company working with ICE. Now that they know, a handful are considering leaving in a show of protest against the contract. One employee, speaking anonymously said, “This is the sort of thing that would make me question staying.” On Twitter, individuals and tech groups are urging Microsoft employees to take a stand, the same way Google employees did in response to the company taking on Project Maven.

For a short period of time, the blog post was edited to remove the piece about Microsoft being proud to support ICE, but it was later added back in. Speaking to Wired reporter Nitasha Tiku, Microsoft said the removal was a “mistake” and attributed it to an employee who edited the blog after seeing negative comments about it on social media.

Microsoft has since released a public statement against the policy of separating children from their families at the border, saying in part, “As a company Microsoft has worked for over 20 years to combine technology with the rule of law to ensure that children who are refugees and immigrants can remain with their parents. We need to continue to build on this noble tradition rather than change course now. We urge the administration to change its policy and Congress to pass legislation ensuring children are no longer separated from their families.”

In spite of these words, Microsoft did not comment on the future of its ICE contract.

H/T Business Insider

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*First Published: Jun 19, 2018, 9:23 am CDT