By Kanishka Singh
WASHINGTON, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Microsoft said on Wednesday it did not think the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency was using its technology for mass surveillance of civilians but added that it provided cloud-based productivity and collaboration tools to ICE.
The statement from the technology company came in response to a report by The Guardian that said ICE deepened its reliance on Microsoft's cloud technology last year as the agency ramped up arrest and deportation operations.
The newspaper cited leaked documents.
ICE more than tripled the amount of data it stored in Microsoft's Azure cloud platform in the six months leading up to January 2026, a period in which the agency's budget swelled and its workforce rapidly expanded, The Guardian reported, adding ICE appeared to be using a range of Microsoft's productivity tools, as well as AI-driven products, to search and analyze the data it holds in Azure.
"As we've previously said, Microsoft provides cloud-based productivity and collaboration tools to DHS (Department of Homeland Security, of which ICE is a part) and ICE, delivered through our key partners," a Microsoft spokesperson said in a statement.
"Microsoft policies and terms of service do not allow our technology to be used for the mass surveillance of civilians, and we do not believe ICE is engaged in such activity."
The company said the U.S. Congress, the executive branch and the courts should draw "clear legal lines" regarding the permissible use of emerging technologies by law enforcement.
ICE said it will not comment on specifics involving investigative techniques, tools and technologies used in ongoing criminal probes but said it uses various forms of technology to aid arrests of criminals.
U.S. President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown has faced criticism from human rights advocates who say it creates an unsafe environment and lacks due process. ICE has become the symbol of Trump's crackdown, especially after the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens last month.
Trump has said his actions aim to improve domestic security and curb illegal immigration.
Tech companies have attempted to warm their ties with Trump during his second term in office.
Microsoft has also previously faced scrutiny over use of its technology by governments. Last September, the company said it had disabled some services used by an Israeli military unit after preliminary evidence supported a media investigation that reported mass surveillance of Palestinian phone calls. The ties to Israel's military had led to protests within the company and some protesters were fired.
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)
