SOURCE:
PJ MEDIAURL:
https://pjmedia.com/trending/microsoft-employees-demand-cancelation-of-contract-with-ice-over-trump-policy/by Paula Bolyard
Nearly 100 Microsoft employees signed a letter that was posted on the company's internal messaging system demanding that their employer cancel a $19.4 million contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) over President Trump's immigration policies.
The letter, addressed to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, called on the company to take an ethical stand, "putting children and families above profits," and to demonstrate that commitment by canceling a massive contract for the Azure cloud computing platform.
According to a January blog post at Microsoft, the company received an Authority to Operate (ATO) designation for Azure Government to provide services for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
"ICE's decision to accelerate IT modernization using Azure Government will help them innovate faster while reducing the burden of legacy IT," Microsoft wrote. "The agency is currently implementing transformative technologies for homeland security and public safety, and we're proud to support this work with our mission-critical cloud."
The signatories on the letter claim that ICE is a human rights violator.
"In a clear abdication of ethical responsibility, Microsoft went as far as boasting that its services 'support the core [ICE] agency functions' and enable ICE agents to 'process data on edge devices' and 'utilize deep learning capabilities to accelerate facial recognition and identification,'" the letter stated. "These are powerful capabilities, in the hands of an agency that has shown repeated willingness to enact inhumane and cruel policies."
"We request that Microsoft cancel its contracts with ICE, and with other clients who directly enable ICE," the employees said. "As the people who build the technologies that Microsoft profits from, we refuse to be complicit. We are part of a growing movement, comprised of many across the industry who recognize the grave responsibility that those creating powerful technology have to ensure what they build is used for good, and not for harm."
The letter, signed simply "Microsoft employees," listed several demands:
1. Cancel the existing Azure Government contract with ICE immediately.
2. Draft, publicize, and enforce a clear policy stating that neither Microsoft nor its contractors will work with clients who violate international human rights law.
3. Commit to transparency and review regarding contracts between Microsoft and government agencies, in the US and beyond.
(EXCERPT) CLICK ABOVE LINK FOR THE REST....
