REDMOND, Wash. – On Tuesday, authorities detained seven individuals who had occupied the office of Microsoft President Brad Smith. This action was part of ongoing demonstrations objecting to Microsoft’s involvement with the Israel Defense Forces amid the persistent conflict in Gaza, according to organizers.
The advocacy group, No Azure for Apartheid, stated that both current and former Microsoft employees were among those apprehended. Microsoft’s main cloud service is Azure, and there are claims in a recent British newspaper report indicating that Israel has used this platform to conduct operations against Palestinian targets. Microsoft is said to be examining the report.
During a Twitch livestream, the protesters were seen gathered as police intervened to detain them. The footage also captured an additional group assembled outside.
During a media briefing Tuesday afternoon, Smith said two of those arrested were Microsoft employees.
Last week, in a similar demonstration at the company headquarters plaza, 18 individuals were arrested. The group has been voicing their protest against Microsoft over several months. Previously, in May, Microsoft dismissed an employee who interrupted CEO Satya Nadella’s speech, and In April, the company terminated two employees for disrupting its 50th-anniversary event.
The group’s demands include that the company cut ties with Israel and pay reparations to Palestinians.
The Guardian, a British news outlet, recently reported that the Israel Defense Forces utilized Microsoft’s Azure cloud service to store call data collected through extensive surveillance in Gaza and the West Bank.
Microsoft has said it hired an outside law firm to investigate the allegations, but that its terms of service would prohibit such use.
After the arrests on Tuesday, Brad Smith addressed the media, stating, “There are many aspects in the world we can’t directly change, but we are committed to what we can and should do. This begins with ensuring that our human rights policies and service agreements are respected globally by all our clients.”
Earlier this year, The Associated Press revealed previously unreported details about Microsoft’s close partnership with the Israeli Ministry of Defense, which uses Azure to transcribe, translate and process intelligence gathered through mass surveillance. The AP reported that the data can be cross-checked with Israel’s in-house, AI-enabled systems to help select targets.
Following The AP’s report, Microsoft said a review found no evidence that its Azure platform and artificial intelligence technologies were used to target or harm people in Gaza. Microsoft did not share a copy of that review, but the company said it would share factual findings from the further review prompted by The Guardian’s report when complete.
In the statement Tuesday, the protest groups said the disruptions were “to protest Microsoft’s active role in the genocide of Palestinians.”
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