Microsoft Accused of Blocking Internal Emails Mentioning Palestine, Gaza, or Genocide
A pro-Palestinian employee group at Microsoft, known as No Azure for Apartheid, has alleged that the company has secretly introduced a policy to block internal emails containing terms such as “Palestine,” “Gaza,” and “genocide.” According to the group, the automated filter on Microsoft’s internal Exchange servers prevents such emails from reaching their recipients, and it does so without alerting the sender.
The policy was reportedly first detected on Wednesday. The employee group claims that while these specific terms are censored, words like “Israel” and obfuscated alternatives like “P4lestine” do not trigger the filter.
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This revelation comes amid rising tensions within Microsoft over its involvement with the Israeli government and military during the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Employees have interrupted corporate events to protest Microsoft’s provision of cloud computing and artificial intelligence services to the Israeli Ministry of Defense.
Ahead of its major annual Build developer conference, Microsoft released a statement attempting to downplay concerns, claiming an internal investigation found that its operations had not harmed civilians in Gaza. However, prior reporting by Drop Site News, The Guardian, and +972 Magazine revealed that Microsoft had pursued strategic contracts with the Israeli Ministry of Defense, offering exclusive deals and significant discounts.
These deals reportedly evolved over time, positioning Microsoft as a critical tech partner supporting Israeli military operations in Gaza. The company has not yet responded to media requests for comment on the reported internal email filtering or its controversial defense partnerships.
