A pro-Palestine employee group at Microsoft, known as No Azure for Apartheid, has alleged that the tech firm has quietly enforced a new email filter targeting internal communication about the Gaza conflict. The group claims the company’s Exchange servers are now blocking emails that contain terms like “Palestine,” “Gaza,” or “genocide,” with messages being halted without the sender receiving any notification.
The filter reportedly came to light on Wednesday, amid rising internal tensions over Microsoft’s business ties with the Israeli military. The tech giant has come under fire from employees protesting its cloud service deals and AI infrastructure support allegedly used by the Israeli government during military operations in Gaza.
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According to the group, other terms such as “Israel” and even alternative spellings like “P4lestine” are not affected by the filter. Microsoft has yet to release an official response to these censorship claims.
The controversy follows previous reporting by The Guardian, +972 Magazine, and Drop Site News, which revealed Microsoft’s close collaboration with the Israeli Ministry of Defense. The reports highlighted discounted service packages and tailored proposals for cloud and AI technologies, cementing Microsoft’s role as a strategic tech supplier.
Although Microsoft issued a statement ahead of its annual Build event claiming no civilian harm resulted from its operations, critics within and outside the company remain unconvinced.