Microsoft does not believe that the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency uses any tools for “broad surveillance of citizens”. According to a report by news agency Reuters, the software giant has claimed that it does not even believe that ICE is using its technology for mass surveillance of citizens. The company's statement comes in response to a report that raised concerns about potential abuse. The company said its policies prohibit such activity and that it provides cloud-based productivity and collaboration tools to the Department of Homeland Security and ICE through partners.“As we've said before, Microsoft provides cloud-based productivity and collaboration tools to DHS (the Department of Homeland Security, of which ICE is a part) and ICE, delivered through our key partners.” a Microsoft spokesperson said in a statement to Reuters.“Microsoft policies and terms of service do not permit our technology to be used for mass surveillance of citizens, and we do not believe ICE is engaging in such activity,” A company spokesperson said.The company said the US Congress, executive branch and courts should be attracted “Make legal boundaries clear” Regarding the permitted use of emerging technologies by law enforcement.
Why did Microsoft make this statement regarding ICE?
Microsoft's statement comes after a report by The Guardian, which said ICE has increased its use of Microsoft's cloud technology over the past year as the agency has expanded arrest and deportation campaigns. The publication has cited leaked documents in its report.ICE more than tripled the amount of data stored on Microsoft's Azure cloud platform in the six months to January 2026, a period during which the agency's budget grew and its workforce expanded, The Guardian reports. The report said that ICE appears to be using AI-based products as well as several Microsoft productivity tools to search and analyze data stored on Azure.This is not the first time that Microsoft is under question regarding the use of its technology by the US government. In September 2025, Microsoft said it had disabled some services being used by an Israeli military unit after finding some preliminary evidence supporting media investigations about mass surveillance of Palestinian phone calls. Microsoft's ties to the Israeli military also led to some protests within the company and some employees who participated in the protests were fired.ICE told Reuters it would not comment on the specifics of investigative techniques, tools or technologies used in ongoing criminal investigations, but said it uses a variety of techniques to assist in the arrest of criminals.Some of the tech companies with the largest ICE contracts include Dell, AT&T, and Palantir. According to Forbes, Dell's government contracting arm was awarded $18.8 million in April 2025 to support ICE's Office of the Chief Information Officer “through the purchase of Microsoft enterprise software licenses.”With the contract set to expire in September, AT&T will receive $90.7 million in 2021 to supply ICE with IT and network solutions as well as associated support services. The contract also has a potential extension through 2032, bringing the total contract value to $165.2 million.Meanwhile, Palantir, a technology and analytics software provider, received a $139.3 million contract through 2022 for assistance. “Investigative Case Management Operations,” maintenance support and “Custom Enhancements.”