Seven people were arrested on Tuesday after protesters occupied the office of Microsoft President Brad Smith in Washington, United States, as part of ongoing demonstrations against the company’s ties with the Israeli military amid the conflict in Gaza, according to media reports.
According to media reports, those arrested include current and former Microsoft employees.
Protest Against Microsoft’s Ties With Israeli military
The protesters have been opposing Microsoft’s cloud services contract with Israel, claiming that the company’s Azure platform is being used to support military operations.
20 Activists Detained Last Week
Tuesday’s protest was the latest in a series of demonstrations by current and former employees over Microsoft’s cloud deals with Israel. Just last week, around 20 activists were detained during a similar demonstration at the company’s Redmond, Washington, campus.
Allegations About Microsoft’s Azure Role in Military Surveillance
The arrests came even as Microsoft began reviewing a recent investigative report by a British news outlet that alleged the Israeli military has relied on Azure technology to aid surveillance and carry out attacks on Palestinian targets.
The controversy follows reports that Israel’s military surveillance agency, Unit 8200, was using Azure to store vast numbers of intercepted phone calls made by Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.
Microsoft Denies Knowledge of Civilian Surveillance
Responding to these allegations, Microsoft maintained that it was not aware of any civilian surveillance or the collection of mobile conversations through its services.
Internal Probe Launched By Microsoft Into Israeli Military’s Reported Use of Azure
Earlier this month, the company confirmed it had launched an internal investigation into the claims that Unit 8200 stored intercepted Palestinian calls on Azure servers and allegedly used the data to help select bombing targets in Gaza.
According to Al Jazeera, since Hamas’ attack on October 7, 2023, Israel launched its military operation in Gaza, resulting in at least 62,122 people killed and 156,758 others injured. Meanwhile, attacks on Israel on October 7 have killed 1,139 people and taken more than 200 hostages.