More Than 880 Google Employees Call on Company to End Contracts with ICE and CBP.
In a bold move, nearly 900 Google employees have signed a petition urging the company to disclose and cancel any contracts it may have with US immigration authorities, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The workers say they are "vehemently opposed" to Google's dealings with these agencies, which they claim uses technology to power state violence around the world.
The petition was organized by No Tech for Apartheid, a group of Google employees who oppose what they describe as tech militarism - the integration of corporate tech platforms, cloud services, and AI into military and surveillance systems. The group says that the company's silence on these matters is unacceptable.
One Google software engineer said, "We object to the technology we build being used to power state violence around the world." Another employee, who went by Alex, added, "I stand to benefit from other people's suffering, which I find abhorrent and I refuse to be a quiet participant in that system."
Google has declined to comment on the petition's demands. However, a company spokesperson said that the technologies at issue are basic computing and data storage services available to any customer.
The US immigration authorities have been under intense public scrutiny this year as the Trump administration ramped up its mass deportation campaign, sparking nationwide protests. The confrontations between protesters and federal agents culminated in the fatal shooting of two US citizens by immigration officers. In response to the backlash, the Trump administration and Congress are negotiating changes to ICE's tactics.
Some of the Department of Homeland Security's most lucrative contracts are for software and tech gear from a variety of vendors, including Google, Amazon, and Palantir. Workers at these suppliers have raised concerns in the past about whether the technology they develop is being used for surveillance or to carry out violence.
In 2019, nearly 1,500 workers at Google signed a petition demanding that the tech giant suspend its work with Customs and Border Protection until the agency stopped engaging in what they said were human rights abuses. More recently, staff at Google's AI unit asked executives to explain how they would prevent ICE from raiding their offices.
Employees at Palantir have also raised questions internally about the company's work with ICE, according to WIRED reports. Over 1,000 people across the tech industry signed a letter last month urging businesses to dump the agency.
The petition signed by Google employees aims to renew pressure on the company to acknowledge recent events and any work it may be doing with immigration authorities. It demands that Google's leadership publicly call for urgent changes to US government immigration enforcement tactics and hold an internal discussion with workers about the principles they consider when deciding to sell technology to state authorities.
The growing criticism of tech companies' involvement in US immigration policy highlights the challenges faced by these businesses as they navigate complex issues of national security, human rights, and corporate responsibility.
In a bold move, nearly 900 Google employees have signed a petition urging the company to disclose and cancel any contracts it may have with US immigration authorities, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The workers say they are "vehemently opposed" to Google's dealings with these agencies, which they claim uses technology to power state violence around the world.
The petition was organized by No Tech for Apartheid, a group of Google employees who oppose what they describe as tech militarism - the integration of corporate tech platforms, cloud services, and AI into military and surveillance systems. The group says that the company's silence on these matters is unacceptable.
One Google software engineer said, "We object to the technology we build being used to power state violence around the world." Another employee, who went by Alex, added, "I stand to benefit from other people's suffering, which I find abhorrent and I refuse to be a quiet participant in that system."
Google has declined to comment on the petition's demands. However, a company spokesperson said that the technologies at issue are basic computing and data storage services available to any customer.
The US immigration authorities have been under intense public scrutiny this year as the Trump administration ramped up its mass deportation campaign, sparking nationwide protests. The confrontations between protesters and federal agents culminated in the fatal shooting of two US citizens by immigration officers. In response to the backlash, the Trump administration and Congress are negotiating changes to ICE's tactics.
Some of the Department of Homeland Security's most lucrative contracts are for software and tech gear from a variety of vendors, including Google, Amazon, and Palantir. Workers at these suppliers have raised concerns in the past about whether the technology they develop is being used for surveillance or to carry out violence.
In 2019, nearly 1,500 workers at Google signed a petition demanding that the tech giant suspend its work with Customs and Border Protection until the agency stopped engaging in what they said were human rights abuses. More recently, staff at Google's AI unit asked executives to explain how they would prevent ICE from raiding their offices.
Employees at Palantir have also raised questions internally about the company's work with ICE, according to WIRED reports. Over 1,000 people across the tech industry signed a letter last month urging businesses to dump the agency.
The petition signed by Google employees aims to renew pressure on the company to acknowledge recent events and any work it may be doing with immigration authorities. It demands that Google's leadership publicly call for urgent changes to US government immigration enforcement tactics and hold an internal discussion with workers about the principles they consider when deciding to sell technology to state authorities.
The growing criticism of tech companies' involvement in US immigration policy highlights the challenges faced by these businesses as they navigate complex issues of national security, human rights, and corporate responsibility.
. They're basically using their power to fuel state violence around the world and nobody seems to be holding them accountable 
. As someone who's been following the whole ICE/CBP debacle, it's heartbreaking to see these massive corporations like Google profiting from systems that perpetuate suffering and injustice 
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. The fact that so many employees are speaking out against this speaks volumes about the kind of company they want to be 
. I'm rooting for the petitioners – let's hope Google takes some serious action to address these concerns 
by all these Google employees calling out their company for its dealings with ICE and CBP. Like, I get it, tech companies have a responsibility to consider the impact of their work on society, but this is on another level. 900+ people signing a petition? That's some serious power 
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. I don't think it's cool when companies profit from something that's causing harm to others. The employees who signed this petition are speaking truth to power 
. It's about time someone asks the big questions - what exactly is Google doing with its tech, and why isn't it saying anything? 
. It's crazy how these tech giants think they can just sell out to the highest bidder without considering the consequences.
How do you even measure that?
. We need more transparency and accountability from all players in the tech industry.
They're saying it's just not cool that the tech we build is being used for state violence globally 
It's pretty intense, considering all the mass deportations and fatal shootings of US citizens by immigration officers recently 
The thing is, some people at Palantir & Amazon have been raising similar concerns before... 
I remember back in 2001 when Google was all about helping people find info on the internet, not building tools for the government to use against ppl 
Its crazy that they're being pressured by their own employees to end contracts with ICE and CBP. It feels like they're finally waking up to the fact that tech can be used for more than just search engines 
. The petition signed by these employees has definitely raised the bar and made Google's silence on the issue even more conspicuous 
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It's not like those immigration authorities are just trying to do their job or anything. And let's be real, if the government wants Google to build some tech for them, that's what they're gonna do. The petition is just a bunch of employees trying to stir up drama and get attention. Like, who needs all that emotional labor? 
And honestly, can't we just focus on making some sweet, sweet profits instead of worrying about "state violence" and "human rights"? 
. IT'S TIME FOR GOOGLE (AND ALL TECH COMPANIES) TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE IMPACT OF THEIR TECHNOLOGY 
. LET'S SEE MORE PEOPLE SPEAKING OUT AND DEMANDING CHANGE 
. When the whole tech industry comes together to say "we've got your backs" (or rather, "we won't build technology that hurts people"), we can make a real difference in the world 
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