Microsoft Bans Chinese Engineers from Pentagon Cloud Operations
Microsoft announced on Friday that it has revised its internal practices to stop engineers based in China from providing technical support to U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) cloud clients, according to CNBC.
The change comes in response to growing concerns about national security and cybersecurity threats posed by foreign-based personnel working on sensitive U.S. government cloud infrastructure.
The announcement follows a detailed report by ProPublica earlier this week revealing the extent of the Pentagon's reliance on Chinese-based Microsoft engineers, particularly those supporting the company's Azure cloud services.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Microsoft's Chief Communications Officer Frank Shaw wrote: 'In response to concerns raised earlier this week regarding foreign engineers under U.S. supervision, Microsoft has made changes to our support for U.S. government clients to ensure that no engineering teams based in China are providing technical support for the Department of Defense cloud or related services.'
In 2019, Microsoft secured a $10 billion cloud contract with the Pentagon, although it was canceled in 2021 following legal disputes. A year later, the DoD awarded a combined $9 billion in cloud contracts to Microsoft, Amazon, Google, and Oracle.
According to ProPublica, Chinese Microsoft engineers working on Azure were under the supervision of U.S.-based "digital escorts", staff with lesser technical expertise tasked with overseeing foreign support teams. The report warned that this arrangement could expose the U.S. to cyber vulnerabilities, especially in light of rising geopolitical tensions with China.
read more
CBE: Deposits in Local Currency Hit EGP 5.25 Trillion
Morocco Plans to Spend $1 Billion to Mitigate Drought Effect
Gov't Approves Final Version of State Ownership Policy Document
Egypt's Economy Expected to Grow 5% by the end of 2022/23- Minister
Qatar Agrees to Supply Germany with LNG for 15 Years
Business
Oil Prices Descend amid Anticipation of Additional US Strategic Petroleum Reserves
Business
Suez Canal Records $704 Million, Historically Highest Monthly Revenue
Business
Egypt's Stock Exchange Earns EGP 4.9 Billion on Tuesday
Business
Wheat delivery season commences on April 15
News
Israeli-Linked Hadassah Clinic in Moscow Treats Wounded Iranian IRGC Fighters
News
China Launches Largest Ever Aircraft Carrier
Sports
Former Al Zamalek Player Ibrahim Shika Passes away after Long Battle with Cancer
Videos & Features
Tragedy Overshadows MC Alger Championship Celebration: One Fan Dead, 11 Injured After Stadium Fall
Arts & Culture
"Jurassic World Rebirth" Gets Streaming Date
Lifestyle
Get to Know 2025 Eid Al Adha Prayer Times in Egypt
Arts & Culture
South Korean Actress Kang Seo-ha Dies at 31 after Cancer Battle
News
"Tensions Escalate: Iran Probes Allegations of Indian Tech Collaboration with Israeli Intelligence"
Sports
Get to Know 2025 WWE Evolution Results
News
Flights suspended at Port Sudan Airport after Drone Attacks
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al-Ahram Weekly
a few seconds ago
- Al-Ahram Weekly
UN says south Syria violence has displaced more than 128,000 - Region
The United Nations migration agency said Sunday that the number of people displaced by a week of sectarian violence in southern Syria's Druze heartland has risen to more than 128,000. "To date, a total of 128,571 individuals have been displaced since the onset of hostilities," said a report from the International Organization for Migration, adding that displacement from Sweida province "spiked sharply on 19 July, with over 43,000 people displaced in a single day". Calm returned to southern Syria's Sweida province on Sunday, a monitor and AFP correspondents reported, after a week of sectarian violence that killed more than 1,000 people. A ceasefire announced on Saturday appeared to be holding after earlier agreements failed to end fighting between longtime rivals the Druze and the Bedouin that spiralled to draw in the Islamist-led government, the Israeli military and armed tribes from other parts of Syria. AFP correspondents on the outskirts of Sweida city reported hearing no clashes on Sunday morning, with government forces deployed in some locations in the province to enforce the truce and at least one humanitarian convoy headed for the Druze-majority city. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that since around midnight (2100 GMT Saturday), "Sweida has been experiencing a cautious calm", adding government security forces had blocked roads leading to the province in order to prevent tribal fighters from going there. The Britain-based Observatory gave an updated toll on Sunday of more than 1,000 killed since the violence erupted a week ago, including 336 Druze fighters and 298 civilians from the minority group, as well as 342 government security personnel and 21 Sunni Bedouin. Witnesses, Druze factions and the Observatory have accused government forces of siding with the Bedouin and committing abuses including summary executions when they entered Sweida days ago. Hanadi Obeid, a 39-year-old doctor, told AFP that "the city hasn't seen calm like this in a week". 'Totally calm' The interior ministry said overnight that Sweida city was "evacuated of all tribal fighters, and clashes within the city's neighbourhoods were halted". The Observatory had said Druze fighters retook control of the city on Saturday evening. Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa had on Saturday announced a fresh ceasefire in Sweida and renewed a pledge to protect Syria's ethnic and religious minorities in the face of the latest sectarian violence since Islamists overthrew longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December. A spokesman for Syria's tribal and clan council told Al Jazeera late Saturday that fighters had left the city "in response to the call of the presidency and the terms of the agreement". Another medic inside Sweida told AFP by telephone on Sunday that "the situation is totally calm... We aren't hearing clashes." "No medical or relief assistance has entered until now," the medic added, requesting anonymity due to the security situation. State news agency SANA published images showing medical aid being prepared near the health ministry in Damascus and quoted Health Minister Musab al-Ali as saying assistance would be delivered to Sweida's main hospital, where bodies have piled up. Inside the city, where around 150,000 people live, residents have been holed up in their homes without electricity and water, and food supplies have also been scarce. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Egypt Independent
a few seconds ago
- Egypt Independent
Ceasefire in southern Syria appears to be holding as US demands Damascus end violence
CNN — The Syrian government says The Syrian government says clashes in the southern city of Suwayda have stopped after a week of violence left hundreds of people dead, drawing Israeli intervention and US condemnation. A ceasefire agreement reached by the government, Druze groups and Bedouin tribes on Saturday appeared to be holding Sunday, but communications with the province remain difficult. There were no reports of gunfire in the city of Suwayda Sunday. 'After intensive efforts by the Ministry of Interior to implement the ceasefire agreement and the deployment of its forces in the northern and western regions of Suwayda Governorate, the city of Suwayda was evacuated of all tribal fighters, and clashes within the city's neighborhoods were halted,' Interior Ministry spokesperson Noureddine Al-Baba said, according to the Syrian state news agency. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio Saturday called on the Syrian government to use its security forces to prevent 'violent jihadists' from entering Suwayda and 'carrying out massacres.' In a post on X, Rubio said: 'The US has remained heavily involved over the last three days with Israel, Jordan and authorities in Damascus on the horrifying & dangerous developments in southern Syria. The rape and slaughter of innocent people which has and is still occurring must end.' Bedouin tribal fighters were involved in clashes with Druze groups on the western edges of the city on Saturday. One of the Druze factions – Spiritual Leadership – said it was 'deeply regrettable and shameful that the other party has failed to uphold the ceasefire,' and appealed to the international community to halt what it called 'this terrorist onslaught.'
Egypt Independent
a few seconds ago
- Egypt Independent
Tim Cook was hand-picked to lead Apple. Some say it's time for him to go
New York CNN — Two research analysts made waves last week when they called for a major shakeup at tech giant Apple. The analysts weren't suggesting a logo or product redesign. Instead, they called for the replacement of Tim Cook, the CEO who directly succeeded Steve Jobs in 2011 and helped catapult the company to its $3 trillion valuation. Walter Piecyk and Joe Galone of LightShed Partners, a New York-based technology, media and telecommunications research firm, are questioning whether Cook is still the right person to lead one of the world's most valuable companies amid concerns that it's fallen behind in AI — a technology that's already disrupting work, education and other facets of everyday life. Apple has already faced pressure to come up with a new hit product as sales of smartphones, Apple's biggest revenue driver, have slowed across the industry. 'Apple now needs a product-focused CEO, not one centered on logistics,' the pair wrote on July 9. An Apple store on September 20, 2024, in Kuala Lumpur, Cook would be a high-stakes move for Apple; the company is already undergoing leadership changes elsewhere in the C-suite, and changing CEOs could further pull focus away from running Apple's core business. Cook is also widely supported by Apple's board and has 'staying power akin to other captains of industry' such as Disney's Bob Iger and JPMorgan Chase's Jamie Dimon, reports Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, who has long tracked Apple's business strategy. There's no evidence to indicate Cook is going anywhere soon. Shares of Apple (AAPL) have skyrocketed under Cook's tenure, during which he's also built other lucrative products after the iPhone's success — such as smartwatches, earbuds and digital services. To be sure, the LightShed note is just one take in a crowded field of analysts and researchers who follow Apple's business. But it is perhaps an indication that Apple's AI setbacks are bigger than a standard product delay — to some, they're shaking confidence in Apple's ability to innovate. And Piecyk and Galone aren't the only ones questioning whether Apple needs fresh leadership. 'He's a supply chain guy. They need a tech visionary,' said Ted Mortonson, managing director and technology sector strategist at financial services company Baird. 'I think they're in a lot more trouble than some people think.' Apple did not respond to CNN's request for comment. Apple's challenges in 2025 Apple has grappled with a litany of challenges so far in 2025, among them: President Donald Trump's tariff threats; fresh restrictions from the European Union on how it runs its valuable App Store; and a federal judge allowing an antitrust lawsuit alleging it has monopolized the smartphone market to proceed. But concerns about the iPhone maker's slow progress in AI have been front and center. The company in March said it's delaying a long-awaited update to Siri that would have enabled it to answer more complex questions with personalized answers and handle tasks on a user's behalf. That type of change would bring Siri closer to more modern AI agents like OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Gemini. The company hasn't said much about when the revamped Siri will arrive aside from needing 'more time to reach our high-quality bar,' Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of software engineering, said in June at the company's Worldwide Developers Conference. The concern is broader than Siri alone, it's that Apple doesn't seem to have much to show for its AI efforts so far, Creative Strategies CEO and principal analyst Ben Bajarin told CNN earlier this year. Apple has shaken up its AI leadership in an effort to accelerate its efforts in the space, according to Bloomberg. Apple Intelligence, which arrived in 2024 following the iPhone 16's September launch, includes tools that can summarize notifications, transcribe phone calls, erase objects in photos, and use an iPhone's camera to search Google or prompt ChatGPT and create images. Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference in Cupertino, California, on June 9, 2025. Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images Although Apple delayed the Siri update, it did announce a batch of new AI features coming this fall, including live-language translation, AI-generated workout insights for the Apple Watch and enhancements to existing features. But many of these upgrades are Apple playing catch-up to tools already offered by other tech companies, and may not be enough to position Apple as a leader. '(Cook) has done a great job of getting Apple to where it is, but the environment certainly has changed,' said Thomas Martin, partner and senior portfolio manager at investment firm Globalt. 'They are really struggling on the AI front. It's a different animal, because AI is software, and Apple is traditionally almost exclusively hardware.' Under Cook's watch, other high-profile products or projects have fallen short of expectations in recent years. Last year, Apple launched the $3,500 Vision Pro headset, heralding it as the future of computing. But more than a year on, it remains a niche, novelty device as some of Apple's competitors are moving ahead with more stylish and practical augmented reality glasses. A person wears Vision Pro headset the product release at the Apple Store in New York City on February 2, 2024. The Vision Pro, the tech giant's $3,499 headset, is its first major release since the Apple Watch nine years ago. Angela Weiss/AFP/Getty Images Also in 2024, Apple reportedly ended a decade-long effort to build an electric car, known internally as Project Titan, pulling the plug on what was believed to be an ambitious, expensive endeavor. Apple has made other significant changes to its leadership. Chief Financial Officer Luca Maestri was replaced at the start of 2025, although he remains vice president of corporate services according to Apple's website. And the company announced that longtime Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams will leave the post this month and retire this year. Tough shoes to fill Cook, 64, has been Apple's CEO for nearly 14 years and is widely respected for his operational acumen. He stepped out of the shadow of one of America's most iconic CEOs, Steve Jobs, and built a global supply chain and ecosystem of products and services that maintained Apple's place as one of the world's most valuable companies. He also carved out an important role for Apple in the digital health space with the Apple Watch, which was introduced in 2014 and was the first major new product launched under Cook's tenure. Apple is now a market leader in wearable technology, which includes both the Apple Watch and other devices like its AirPods — it claimed nearly a quarter of the global market for wearables as of the fourth quarter of 2024, according to market research firm the International Data Corporation. Under Cook's leadership, Apple's market cap went from just over $342 billion in August 2011 to roughly $3 trillion today. Even the two LightShed Partners analysts have acknowledged that Cook has done 'a great job.' 'To be clear, Tim Cook was the right CEO at the time of his appointment and unquestionably has done a great job,' the analysts wrote. And further change to Apple's executive ranks might hinder their efforts to expand in AI.
