Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Russian Ministry of Defense: 37 Ukrainian drones destroyed in 4 hours over regions of Russia and the Black Sea.
Sheikh Qassem: Our supporters make up more than half of Lebanon's population, and all of these people are united under the banner of protecting Lebanon, its Resistance, its people, and its integrity.
Sheikh Qassem: There will be no phased handing in of our arms. [The Israelis] must first enact the agreement before we start talking about a defensive strategy.
Sheikh Qassem: Be brave in the face of foreign pressures, and we will be by your side in this stance.
Sheikh Qassem: Stripping us of our arms is like stripping us of our very soul, and this will prompt us to show them our might.
Sheikh Qassem: We will not abandon our arms, for they gave us dignity; we will not abandon our arms, for they protect us against our enemy.
Sheikh Qassem: The US efforts we are seeing are aimed at sabotaging Lebanon and constitute a call for sedition.
Sheikh Qassem: If you truly want to establish sovereignty and work for Lebanon’s interests, then stop the aggression.
Sheikh Qassem: The United States, which is meddling in Lebanon, is not trustworthy but rather poses a danger to it.
Sheikh Qassem: The United States is preventing the weapons that protect the homeland.

Giant Tech Companies Have Profited in Billions Through US Wars

  • By Al Mayadeen Net
  • Source: Agencies
  • 11 Sep 2021 00:15
3 Min Read

Giant tech companies such as Microsoft, Amazon, and Google made huge profits through contracts with US government agencies that seek to digitize the defense sector.

  • x
  • Report:
    Report: Microsoft benefited from the increase in the number of defense contracts significantly.

Tech giants have made billions in profit through contracts with the US military and other government agencies during the so-called "War on Terror," according to a report released on the eve of the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

The report "Big Tech Sells War," published last Thursday by 3 American campaigning groups, documented the stipulation of a huge number of government contracts with Amazon, Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Twitter since 2004.

The report said tech companies' contracts were "primarily with agencies central to the War on Terror."

The report added that "From 2004 to today, Big Tech corporations have seen a huge climb in federal demand for their services, particularly from the Pentagon and Department of Homeland Security."

The US military and intelligence agencies' demand for cloud computing and GPS software has risen since 2001 as the defense sector has grown increasingly digitized.

The US Department of Defense alone has spent about $43.9 billion on contracts for major technology companies since 2004, according to the report, which was issued as a result of a collaboration between the Action Center on Race and the Economy and social justice groups LittleSis and MPower Change.

Related News

Google fined A$55mln in Australia over Android search deals

Google to censor satellite views of South Korea over security concerns

The report noted that 4 of the top 5 spending agencies on contracts with big tech companies were "central to foreign policy or established as a direct result of the War on Terror."

The report also confirmed that Amazon and Microsoft, in particular, pulled ahead in recent years, with Amazon signing nearly five times and Microsoft signing eight times as many federal contracts and subcontracts in 2019 compared to 2015.

The report stressed that "Microsoft has benefited from the increase in the number of defense contracts significantly under former President Donald Trump, with those signed between 2016 and 2018 increasing sixfold."

Meanwhile, the number of contracts signed with "traditional" military and defense contractors such as aerospace companies Raytheon and Northrop Grumman has declined in recent years.

The report pulled its data from Tech Inquiry, an online tool that allows users to explore US government contracts.

The report stated that the platform includes only contracts in which the information contained in it is allowed to be shared publicly, which means that the numbers received are "very likely an underrepresentation.""

The report also criticized the groups that created the "revolving door" phenomenon between major technology companies and US security agencies, in which government officials who were in high official positions assume key roles in technology companies.

According to the report, officials with top positions include former State Department official Jared Cohen, who is now working for Google, for example, and Steve Bandilidis at Amazon who worked for the FBI, and Joseph de Rosick at Microsoft, who was one of the founders of the Department of Homeland Security.

  • Google
  • US Defense Department
  • Microsoft
  • US Secretary of Homeland Security
  • Amazon

Most Read

Tom Artiom Alexandrovich, executive director of the defense division of the Israeli National Cyber Directorate, undated (Social media)

Israeli-born US prosecutor drops Israeli officer child sex crime

  • Politics
  • 19 Aug 2025
Almost instantly after the Helsinki Accords were signed, organisations sprouted to document purported violations, whose findings were fed to overseas embassies for international amplification. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Zeinab el-Hajj)

How ‘Human Rights’ became a Western weapon

  • Opinion
  • 23 Aug 2025
Israeli soldiers stand on the top of armoured vehicles parked on an area near the Israeli-Gaza border, as seen from southern Israel, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025 (AP)

Palestinian fighters target Israeli soldiers, vehicles in Gaza

  • Politics
  • 21 Aug 2025
Launch of a ballistic missile from Yemen toward the occupied Palestinian territories. (YAF military media)

Yemeni Forces announce firing hypersonic missile at Al-Lydd Airport

  • Politics
  • 22 Aug 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference at the Prime minister's office in al-Quds, Occupied Palestine, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Netanyahu deliberately derailing truce with Gaza occupation: Hamas

Irish President Michael Higgins arrives to deliver his speech during a 42nd World Food Day celebration at FAO headquarters in Rome, on Oct. 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Politics

Irish president renews call for UN military intervention in Gaza

US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at the US Embassy in Aukar, northern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, July 21, 2025 (AP)
Politics

US envoy, Netanyahu discuss restraining attacks on Lebanon, withdrawal

Smoke billows following Israeli airstrikes in multiple areas in Sanaa, Yemen, Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Ansar Allah vow sustained Gaza support despite Israeli strikes

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS