US after Microsoft for selling services to Russia, Iran, Syria, Cuba

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
6 Apr 2023 22:43

Microsoft pays $3 million for selling services to entities sanctioned by the US.

Microsoft signage is seen at the company's headquarters in Redmond, Washington, US, January 18, 2023 (Reuters)

The United States has reached a settlement with Microsoft Corp regarding the tech giant's breach of export restrictions on entities sanctioned by the US, Reuters reported on Thursday.

The US State Department said the tech firm voluntarily disclosed its operations and has agreed to pay around $3 million to settle over 1,300 violations of sanctions by offering services involving Iran, Russia, Cuba, and Syria between 2012 and 2019.

The company's conduct was "non-egregious and voluntarily self-disclosed," the Department said in a statement.

A majority of the restrictions' breach included Russian entities or individuals resident in Crimea - a territory the US deems as part of Ukraine and currently occupied by Russia - which was due to Microsoft's lack of proper "screenings" about the end users of their product, the statement continued.

"Microsoft takes export control and sanctions compliance very seriously, which is why after learning of the screening failures and infractions of a few employees, we voluntarily disclosed them to the appropriate authorities," a company spokesperson told Reuters in an email.