Microsoft has stated it will no longer use engineers based in China to provide technical support for the U.S. Department of Defense.

The announcement comes after a Pro Publica report revealed the company had previously relied on these engineers to help maintain its government cloud systems.

“In response to concerns raised earlier this week about US-supervised foreign engineers, Microsoft has made changes to our support for US Government customers to assure that no China-based engineering teams are providing technical assistance for DoD Government cloud and related services,” said Frank X. Shaw, Microsoft’s chief communications officer.

According to Pro Publica, Microsoft’s system used “digital escorts”, U.S. citizens with security clearances, to supervise the China-based engineers. However, the report noted that these escorts sometimes lacked the technical expertise needed to properly monitor the work being done.

Reacting to the report, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth posted on X:

“Foreign engineers — from any country, including of course China, should NEVER be allowed to maintain or access DoD systems.”

PHOTO: UNSPLASH

This article was created with AI assistance.