Microsoft says he will no longer use engineers in China for the work of the Ministry of Defense

Following a Pro Publica report that Microsoft uses engineers in China to help maintain cloud computing systems for the US Department of Defense, the company said it has made changes to ensure that this will no longer happen.

It is reported that the existing system relies on « digital escorts » to control engineers based in China. But according to Pro Publica, these companions – US citizens with security permits – sometimes lacked the technical expertise to properly monitor engineers.

In response to the report, Secretary of Defense Pete Heget wrote to X, « External engineers – from any country, including of course China – should never be allowed to maintain or access to DOD systems. »

On Friday, Microsoft Communications CEO Frank X. Shaw replied: « In response to fears raised earlier this week, Microsoft’s external engineers, Microsoft, made changes to our support for US government clients to ensure that a single engineering team is based on.