Microsoft employees say emails with 'Gaza,' 'Palestine,' or 'genocide' won't send

Security officers block entrance doors after pro-Palestinian protesters attempted to enter the Microsoft Build conference at the Seattle Convention Center Arch building in Seattle, Washington on May 19, 2025. Microsoft employees are concerned that the company has been blocking Outlook emails containing the words "Palestine," "Gaza," "genocide," "apartheid" and "IOF off Azure," even if they're including those terms in an HR complaint, according to screenshots, recordings and documents viewed by CNBC. Employees said they started noticing the change Wednesday just before noon PST, batch-testing emails with the terms in question and emails without them. Only the ones without such terms appeared in their outboxes, suggesting those containing the terms weren't received, according to materials viewed by CNBC and three sources familiar with the matter. The people asked not to be named in order to speak freely. One employee with the word "apartheid" in their email signature, who spoke on co ... Read full article.