Microsoft to undergo third-party review for its surveillance products' human rights impacts
The findings of the review will be published in 2022.
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What you need to know
A stir was created in June 2021 over Microsoft’s surveillance technology’s applications and their seemingly diametric opposition to the company’s stated values. This conflict was brought to the public’s attention in large part byshareholder proposals. Now, Microsoft has confirmed it’s having a third-party review done to assess whether its products and values are misaligned.
Said proposal situation has been defused and shareholders have withdrawn their motions, according to aBloomberg reportthat also states Microsoft is undergoing a third-party review to assess what impact its surveillance technology is having on human rights. Here is Microsoft’s statement:
In response to shareholder requests, Microsoft Corp. will commission an independent, third-party assessment to identify, understand, assess, and address actual or potential adverse human rights impacts of the company’s products and services and business relationships with regard to law enforcement, immigration enforcement, and other government contracts. The assessment will include consultation with BIPOC communities, including immigrants, and other groups representing communities most impacted by Microsoft’s surveillance products, law enforcement and government contracts.
The findings of this review are expected to drop in 2022, indicating it will be some time before answers are given regarding whether human rights are being violated or negatively impacted by Microsoft’s surveillance technology deals with police and government agencies.
This is far from the first time Microsoft’s shareholders have asked hard questions. Recently,Microsoft and the “right to repair” movementhad a big moment as a result of shareholder activity.
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Robert Carnevale is the News Editor for Windows Central. He’s a big fan of Kinect (it lives on in his heart), Sonic the Hedgehog, and the legendary intersection of those two titans, Sonic Free Riders. He is the author ofCold War 2395. Have a useful tip? Send it to robert.carnevale@futurenet.com.
