Microsoft letting employees raise concerns about products after Middle East controversy

Microsoft is giving employees a way to raise concerns about the uses of its technology after controversy emerged over the company’s work in the Middle East.

An internal portal for Microsoft’s 200,000-plus workers now includes an option to request a “Trusted Technology Review,” Brad Smith, the company’s president, wrote in a memo that was disclosed in a securities filing on Wednesday. It’s designed for bringing up misgivings about the ways Microsoft builds and uses technology, he said.

“Our standard non-retaliation policy applies, and you can raise concerns anonymously,” Smith wrote.

The move comes weeks after Microsoft stopped providing some services to an Israeli defense unit. In August, The Guardian said the Israeli Defense Forces’ Unit 8200 had built a system in Microsoft’s Azure cloud for tracking Palestinians’ phone calls as part of the country’s invasion of Gaza, leading Microsoft to investigate the newspaper’s assertions.

Employees protested the company’s work with Israel, leading to firings and resignations.

Microsoft’s business has been on a tear, with its stock reaching a record last week, as OpenAI and other companies have deepened their reliance on Azure for running artificial intelligence models. Yet there’s been internal stress due to layoffs, return-to-office mandates and controversy surrounding Microsoft’s contracts.

A media report in July also described the U.S. Defense Department’s dependence on Microsoft engineers located in China.

Microsoft, which celebrated its 50th birthday in April, now sees opportunities to boost its governance.

“We are working to strengthen our existing pre-contract review process for evaluating engagements that require additional human rights due diligence,” Smith wrote.

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