Washington: Seven people have been arrested by the Police on Tuesday after they occupied the office of Microsoft President Brad Smith in protest against the company’s alleged ties to the Israel Defense Forces during the ongoing war in Gaza, according to protest organisers.
The group No Azure for Apartheid stated that both current and former Microsoft employees were among those arrested. The protests are linked to concerns over Microsoft’s Azure cloud computing platform, following a report in a British newspaper earlier this month alleging that Israel had used the service to support attacks on Palestinian targets. Microsoft has said it is reviewing the claims.
A Twitch livestream showed protesters huddled together inside the office as police moved in to arrest them, while another group was gathered outside the building.
Speaking at a media briefing later in the day, Brad Smith confirmed that two of those arrested were Microsoft employees.
This incident follows a similar protest last week in a plaza at Microsoft’s headquarters, where 18 people were arrested. The group has been staging demonstrations against the company for several months, AP reported.
In May, the company fired an employee who disrupted a speech by CEO Satya Nadella, and in April, two others were sacked after interrupting Microsoft’s 50th anniversary celebration.
The protest group behind the latest demonstrations has demanded that Microsoft sever all ties with Israel and provide reparations to Palestinians.
Their concerns intensified after a report by The Guardian earlier this month claimed that the Israel Defense Forces had used Microsoft’s Azure cloud computing platform to store phone call data obtained through mass surveillance of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.
Microsoft responded by stating that it had hired an external law firm to probe the allegations and emphasised that its terms of service prohibit such usage.
Earlier this year, a report by the Associated Press disclosed previously unknown details about Microsoft’s close partnership with the Israeli Ministry of Defense.
According to the report, the ministry uses Microsoft’s Azure platform to transcribe, translate, and process intelligence gathered through mass surveillance, with the data allegedly cross-referenced using Israel’s AI-enabled systems to assist in selecting targets.
In response, Microsoft stated that an internal review had found no evidence suggesting its Azure platform or AI technologies were being used to target or harm people in Gaza. While the company did not release the full review, it assured that factual findings from an additional review, prompted by The Guardian’s recent report, would be shared once completed.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the protest groups said their disruptions were intended “to protest Microsoft’s active role in the genocide of Palestinians.”