Microsoft Azure: HRW reissues call to halt Microsoft's Saudi Arabia plans, along with 17 other human rights organisations

Following Human Rights Watch’s call for Microsoft to suspend plans in Saudi Arabia, 17 more groups have now joined the campaign, citing human rights concerns. The human rights groups have highlighted the government’s track record of infiltrating technology programs for spying purposes and its deployment of “sophisticated cyber surveillance software” alongside its anti-cybercrime and data protection laws. Based on this, the groups are concerned that Saudi authorities could gain access to data stored in Microsoft’s data center. 

Back in February 2023, HRW brought these concerns to the giant; it requested for its response to be kept off the record and noted its “commitment” to the Trusted Cloud Principles and its approach to operating data centers in regions with human rights challenges. The human rights groups have said that until Microsoft can provide evidence of how it will mitigate such risks, it should pause all plans to operate in the Kingdom. 

Speaking about this, Joey Shea, Saudi Arabia researcher at Human Rights Watch, said. “The Saudi government’s record of violating privacy rights with impunity poses a grave danger to data stored within its borders.”

Shea said that Microsoft needs to conduct a “thorough human rights due diligence process” and “publicly detail” how it plans to mitigate the potential adverse human rights impacts associated with Saudi Arabia hosting the data center.

Marwa Fatafta, MENA policy, and advocacy manager at Access Now, which is also calling for Microsoft to pause plans, added: “Microsoft should prove that its public commitment to upholding human rights standards is not just empty rhetoric by publicly detailing its due diligence measures and safeguards for upholding rights. Microsoft must utilize the opportunity to demonstrate leadership among the tech industry in responsible market entry in such extreme risk markets and in countries with dismal human rights records like Saudi Arabia.”

The other organizations joining the call include: