by Paul Bradford
It’s no secret that many of the tech giants operate as monopolies, and one of the worst offenders is Microsoft. The Federal Trade Commission recently launched an antitrust investigation against Bill Gates’s creation, alleging it works unfairly to stifle competition and control various sectors of the tech market. The FTC wants to inquire into how Microsoft offers its cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity products. The agency is particularly concerned with the tech giant’s bundling services that kneecap the competition.
There is some uncertainty about whether the FTC will continue the investigation under the new Trump administration. It was launched by current FTC chair Lina Khan, a notorious leftist rightfully distrusted by conservatives. But while many of her initiatives should be discarded by Andrew Ferguson, Trump’s pick to replace her, the Microsoft investigation is not one of them. It aligns with conservative priorities on correcting Big Tech malfeasance.
Microsoft is one of the most deserving targets of a federal investigation—and not just for its dubious business practices. The company is a central player in the Censorship Industrial Complex and a strong advocate for wokeness. Its domination of the market is bad for business and America.
Elon Musk recognizes the insidiousness of Microsoft and its monopolistic practices. In a post from September, he noted that Microsoft “disproportionately donate[s] to the Democratic Party.” The billionaire claimed this is a particular problem when Microsoft and Google (another lefty company) “control close to 100% of web browsers and search. Even with the best of intentions, they can’t help but introduce bias.”
Microsoft has a well-documented history of introducing bias into its products. It partnered with an AI watchdog that overwhelmingly flagged and throttled right-wing content as “misinformation.” Microsoft was a major backer of NewsGuard, a media “watchdog” service that primarily worked to blacklist conservative media from search engines and social media platforms.
Microsoft has a close relationship with the Chinese government, allowing its products to be used to suppress speech and target dissidents of the communist regime. For instance, it helped a Chinese military university develop AI software for surveillance purposes.
The tech giant aggressively promotes DEI and imposes woke dictates in its products. Microsoft Word now suggests “politically correct” alternatives to common terms such as “mankind” and “Mrs.”
Allowing a company like this runs counter to conservative interests. It doesn’t matter whether a leftist started an investigation into Microsoft. Keeping the tech giant in check makes sense on conservative principles.
Andrew Ferguson understands this. In a leaked memo outlining his agenda, Ferguson pledges to “hold Big Tech accountable and stop censorship,” as well as “protect freedom of speech and fight wokeness.” He’s particularly concerned with the Censorship Industrial Complex, the government-private sector hybrid that suppresses free speech on the internet. Ferguson understands this problem, saying in a recent statement on online censorship that it’s a major concern the “extent of the collaboration between various organs of the federal government—including the White House, CDC, FBI, CISA, and State Department—and Big Tech firms to suppress dissident speech.”
The FTC under Trump can start to correct this problem by continuing the antitrust investigation against Microsoft. In order to make America great again, we have to allow Americans to speak freely again. Big Tech is responsible for the dismal state of free expression in the country. Microsoft and other components of the Censorship Industrial Complex need to be reined in. Their business practices run counter to American greatness.
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Paul Bradford is a Capitol Hill refugee now earning an honest living.
Background Photo “FTC Building” by Harrison Keely. CC BY 4.0.
