Microsoft employees allege emails mentioning “Palestine” or “Gaza” are being blocked
Microsoft is facing criticism from its workforce over allegations that its internal email system is blocking messages containing terms like “Gaza,” “Palestine,” and “Genocide.” The Verge reported that these restrictions have led to accusations of censorship and discrimination, especially given the increasing criticism of the company’s connections to Israel.
The claims originate from No Azure for Apartheid (NOAA), a group of current and former Microsoft employees protesting the company’s actions. The group asserts that “dozens of employees” have been unable to send emails, either internally or externally, when these words appear in the subject line or body of the message.
Reportedly, words such as “Israel” or alternative spellings like “P4lestine” are not subject to the same filtering. NOAA organizer Hossam Nasr stated, “This is an attempt to silence worker free speech,” and accused Microsoft’s leadership of discriminating against Palestinian employees and their supporters.
Microsoft has confirmed implementing email-related changes aimed at reducing the volume of internal political messaging. A company spokesperson stated that these measures were taken to limit mass political emails, arguing that “emailing large numbers of employees about non-work topics is not appropriate” and that such communication should be directed to opt-in forums.
This controversy arises amidst ongoing protests concerning Microsoft’s cloud and AI contracts with Israel, which media reports suggest support military operations in Gaza. While the US company has acknowledged its collaboration with the Israeli government, it stated on May 16 that “no evidence” has surfaced indicating its tools have been used to cause harm—though it also conceded it lacks insight into how its software is used on private systems.
This internal disagreement has become public in recent weeks. During the Microsoft Build developer conference, employee Joe Lopez disrupted CEO Satya Nadella’s keynote address, accusing the company of enabling war crimes. Lopez was subsequently terminated after sending a mass email to thousands of staff members urging action.
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