Students Against Genocide calls on MSU to cut ties with Metrea, Reveal Technology

Students Against Genocide (SAG) is calling on MSU to cut ties with companies on its Innovation Campus that conduct military and mass surveillance technology research and development, including Metrea Spectrum Operations and Reveal Technology.

The campaign, which has included protests, tabling and petition circulation, officially launched two weeks ago. According to its Jan. 13 press release, SAG opposes the University’s involvement in research and technology development connected to the Israel-Palestine conflict. 

SAG’s campaign is currently focused on MSU’s ties with Reveal Technology and Metrea through the Innovation Campus, a space for collaboration between MSU and industry researchers, according to its website. 

It is located west of MSU’s main campus and is managed by Charter Realty in partnership with the MSU Alumni Foundation, according to MSU’s Interim Vice President of University Communications Michael Becker. 

SAG has laid out three demands in its petition: that MSU adopt an ethics policy regarding military and surveillance research, cut ties with any Innovation Campus tenants connected to genocide or war crimes and increase its research transparency.

“We believe that, [at MSU,] ethics should be a top priority. There’s absolutely no reason why we need to be collaborating with these companies,” SAG member Elizabeth Barott said. “We want the University to sever ties with all companies that are involved in this genocide and that are involved in weapons manufacturing in general.”

According to Becker, the University does not determine what kind of research is conducted on campus, but requires that it follow the University’s Ethical and Professional Standards Policy. 

“Our faculty and research centers have the full academic freedom to pursue research that aligns with their interests and pursue funding in that work,” Becker said in an email to the Exponent on Jan. 25.

The Innovation Campus seeks tenants with direct connection to MSU research and high potential for student employment, according to Becker. 

“That is, in fact, one of the reasons for the Innovation Campus at heart: helping create opportunities for students to find good-paying careers and stay in Montana after graduation,” he said.

Reveal Technology leases space at MSU’s Innovation Campus in the EngineWorks building, according to Becker. According to its website, Reveal Technology builds military technology used by the U.S. and its allies. The company advertises two principal technologies — IDENTIFI and FARSIGHT.

IDENTIFI is a biometric identification technology for mobile devices that was developed in collaboration with the U.S. Special Operations Command, according to the company’s website.

FARSIGHT is used to develop 2D and 3D models of landscapes based on surveillance footage for use by tactical teams, according to Reveal Technology’s website. In a 2025 post on LinkedIn, the company stated that FARSIGHT was deployed by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

According to SAG member Homa Masood, SAG relies entirely on publicly available information to research these companies. It has attempted to contact the companies directly, but has been unsuccessful, she said. 

“[Reveal Technology] is very clear that they want to enhance lethality. They’re making the surveillance technology not just to watch people, but they know it’s being used to kill,” said SAG member Taylor Pajunen.

According to Becker, Metrea does not lease space at the Innovation Campus, though they have been receiving mail at the Applied Research Laboratory (ARL) there. On its website, Metrea currently lists the ARL as the address for its Bozeman location. 

Metrea’s Bozeman operations are part of its electromagnetic and cyber department, which develops and maintains equipment for electronic warfare and other cyber technologies, including multiple U.S. Department of Defense customers, according to its website.

While opposed to military development and research, SAG positions itself as pro-science. “Research is important, but we believe that ethics should also be a top priority,” Barott said. “If we want to focus on building a better world, we don't want to put our energy into weapons that kill.”

MSU student Andrew Crane said he was attracted to the SAG rally on Friday, Jan. 23 because he was concerned about the University's support of corporations supplying weapons to the IDF.

“That’s just not something that I ideologically support,” Crane said. “I don’t want to be seen as complicit in allowing a genocide like this to happen in Gaza or in the West Bank.”

According to SAG, their petition has already gathered over five hundred signatures. Members plan to bring it to the upcoming University Council Meeting on Feb. 4, Pajunen said. 

“Our petition is focused on getting not just students, but anybody in the MSU community — students, faculty, staff, concerned community members,” Masood said. “We want to show that this is something that the MSU community is standing against, and we can then take that to the administration.”

To learn more about SAG, visit https://www.studentsagainstgenocide.com.