Microsoft And Amazon Caught Up In Sex Trafficking Scandal

It’s been well-established over the years that the tech industry has a problem with sexual harassment and predatory behavior. However, a recent acquisition of emails by Amazon and Microsoft employees revealed that the industry also has a problem with regards to sex trafficking activities. Several high-ranking executives have already been arrested in the matter.

The emails were obtained by Newsweek, which recently published a report featuring the more illicit details. The most stunning aspect of the report, however, is the brazen attitude that the employees had when communicating about their sex trafficking affairs.

As the publication notes, one of the reasons for the employees using their work emails to communicate with pimps was to prove that they were not police pretending to be customers. This resulted in hundreds of emails involving staff of prominent tech institutions asking to have the opportunity to pay for Asian women who were victims of sex trafficking.

The emails were apparently obtained from the King County Prosecutor’s Office through a public records request. They are apparently part of the collection of emails that law enforcement officials have been hunting for as part of their anti-sex trafficking operations. It’s also connected to the 2015 sting operation, which resulted in several Amazon and Microsoft executives getting arrested.

As Engadget notes, Seattle’s sex trafficking problem has been growing right alongside the growth of the tech industry. Some men actually pay up to $50,000 a year on brothels and sex workers. In fact, some brothels would even use their popularity among members of the tech industry as advertising fodder.

In response to the issue, Microsoft issued a statement saying that it is also working to combat this culture of misogyny, even highlighting the personal effort of its employees in doing so. Meanwhile, Amazon simply referred to its Owner’s Manual without providing any kind of assurance that it is also trying to address the serious issue.