Microsoft removes mention of ICE cloud work after protests

FILE- In this May 7, 2018, file photo Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella looks on during a video as he delivers the keynote address at Build, the company's annual conference for software developers in Seattle. Microsoft is working on automated checkout technology that could help retailers compete with Amazon’s new cashier-less stores. One firm building automated checkout systems, AVA Retail, said Thursday, June 14 that it is working with Microsoft on the technology for physical stores. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)

Microsoft Corp scrubbed an online reference to its work for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement as the agency faces criticism for its role in separating families at the US-Mexican border. 

On Jan 24, Tom Keane, a Microsoft executive, wrote a blog post about new contracts with the US Air Force and ICE for the company’s Azure cloud-computing service. Keane touted Azure’s ability to help the agency handle “sensitive unclassified data” and use tools such as facial recognition and identification. “The agency is currently implementing transformative technologies for homeland security and public safety, and we’re proud to support this work with our mission-critical cloud,” Keane wrote in the post.