Over 880 Google employees and contractors have signed a petition calling on the company to cancel any contracts it has with US immigration authorities, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The workers, who come from various departments within Google, are "vehemently opposed" to the technology they build being used to power state violence around the world.
The petition was organized by No Tech for Apartheid, a group of Google and Amazon workers who oppose what they describe as tech militarism. They argue that companies like Google have a responsibility to consider the human rights implications of their work and should not be complicit in systems of oppression.
Some of the Google employees involved in the petition include software engineers and contractors who have expressed concerns about the technology they are developing being used for surveillance or to carry out violence. One employee, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, "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, but a company spokesperson noted that the technologies at issue are basic computing and data storage that are available to any customer. However, the workers behind the petition argue that this is just a smokescreen and that Google needs to take responsibility for its actions.
The move comes as the Trump administration ramps up its mass deportation campaign, sparking nationwide protests. In Minneapolis, confrontations between protesters and federal agents culminated in the fatal shooting of two US citizens by immigration officers. The incident has sparked outrage and calls for reform.
This is not the first time that Google employees have raised concerns about their company's work with ICE and CBP. Last year, nearly 1,500 workers 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.
The petition was organized by No Tech for Apartheid, a group of Google and Amazon workers who oppose what they describe as tech militarism. They argue that companies like Google have a responsibility to consider the human rights implications of their work and should not be complicit in systems of oppression.
Some of the Google employees involved in the petition include software engineers and contractors who have expressed concerns about the technology they are developing being used for surveillance or to carry out violence. One employee, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, "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, but a company spokesperson noted that the technologies at issue are basic computing and data storage that are available to any customer. However, the workers behind the petition argue that this is just a smokescreen and that Google needs to take responsibility for its actions.
The move comes as the Trump administration ramps up its mass deportation campaign, sparking nationwide protests. In Minneapolis, confrontations between protesters and federal agents culminated in the fatal shooting of two US citizens by immigration officers. The incident has sparked outrage and calls for reform.
This is not the first time that Google employees have raised concerns about their company's work with ICE and CBP. Last year, nearly 1,500 workers 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.