Microsoft Launches Anonymous Portal for Employees to Raise Concerns About its Tech

Microsoft found itself in hot waters after a report by The Guardian went viral online alleging that the company’s tech has been misused by Israel to “commit genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.” The company addressed these allegations in an internal memo and blocked some Azure and AI services for Israel’s Defense Ministry.

Now, the company is taking a few new steps to how it addresses such concerns internally. The company’s Vice Chairman and President, Brad Smith, today, has announced something called “Trusted Technology Review” (via GeekWire) And it allows employees to raise ethical, legal, or human rights concerns about Microsoft’s products or contracts around the world.

Microsoft has also detailed this initiative in a securities filing. Earlier this year, employees protested Microsoft’s Azure deal with an Israeli Defense Forces unit, which reportedly used the service to track Palestinian phone calls. Following which, there has been internal backlash, layoffs, and public scrutiny of Microsoft’s global partnerships.

The latest internal memo shows the company’s commitment towards ethical concerns, as this initiative will Microsoft’s 200,000+ employees a direct, anonymous way to talk about concerns via its Integrity Portal. Employees can find the “Trusted Technology Review” as reporting option now.

Here’s a copy of internal memo shared by Brad Smith:

Hello Everyone –

You’ll recall that on September 25, I shared with you actions we took after investigating a news story that reported that Azure was being used to store phone call data obtained through mass surveillance of civilians in Gaza and the West Bank. In that message, I also said we’d continue to share lessons learned and how we will apply these going forward. Today I want to share additional steps we are taking to enhance our due diligence and governance processes. This is a part of an ongoing process and, as we continue to learn more, we’ll share further steps with you.

Today we are strengthening our diligence processes by expanding how employees can report information and concerns about how Microsoft technology is developed and deployed. These build on our long-established reporting and investigations processes on workplace behavior, legal and ethical concerns, and digital and physical security – all of which make it easy for employees to raise concerns through the Microsoft Integrity Portal.

We’re adding a new and easy way for employees to report information about practices that you believe may violate the company’s policies regarding the development and deployment of our technology. This is through a new section in the Microsoft Integrity Portal called “Trusted Technology Review.” Moving forward, if you have information on these topics, simply go to the portal and select the “Trusted Technology Review” when asked for type of report. We will then follow up to address this information. Our standard non-retaliation policy applies and you can raise concerns anonymously.

As part of our commitment to ongoing improvement, we are also taking new steps to enhance other aspects of our governance processes. As one step in that work, we are working to strengthen our existing pre-contract review process for evaluating engagements that require additional human rights due diligence.

As I’ve shared before, Microsoft is a company guided by principles and ethics. We continue to consider lessons learned and apply them to how we run our business and advance our mission in an increasingly complex world. We’ll continue to listen and learn and share new steps with you along the way.

While the new initiative doesn’t solve the ongoing moral questions surrounding tech in conflict zones, Microsoft’s attempt to balance commercial interests with ethical accountability looks promising, to say the least.