Trump’s FTC Has The Chance To Send A Strong Message Against Big Tech Malfeasance

American Greatness ^ | 24 Dec, 2024 | Paul Bradford

[MtnClimber]

Microsoft's unchecked monopolistic practices and deep ties to the Censorship Industrial Complex demand a conservative-led investigation to safeguard free markets and free speech.

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.

[MtnClimber]

Please let Google be next.

[nopardons]

BTTT

[Trumpette1954]

Yes! Google search is all left wing. Duck Duck Go is almost as bad.

[Openurmind]

Ping...

[Openurmind]

“Please let Google be next.”

What bothers me is they go after them for less important reasons than they should. Like MS, they should be smacked hard for rendering new computers locked out from the option of using an alternative OS. They collude with manufacturers to make their 3rd party devices proprietary to MS. And it has been going on for a long time. There is a reason why new computers have a wrong boot order as default and MS bios “security” agents that prevent booting an alternative OS. They know most folks cannot go reset the bios boot order to boot from USB first so they can use an alternative OS. And now they have forced manufacturers to require settings in four different places to boot from USB making it far too complicated for most to reset.

THIS scam is what they need to focus on FIRST.

Now with Google... The first priority target should be the overwhelming monopoly Google has on hidden 3rd party services and spy scripts found on almost every website on the internet. They have everyone else locked out of this market because they have copyrights to prevent it. They are nothing but one big spy machine for the government through these services. Their biased search results are nothing in comparison to this hidden script reality.

Good they are finally going after these companies but the priorities need to be in the correct direction first where the biggest violations truly are found. They always seem to sidestep the truly important issues.

[PAR35]

The problem with Duck Duck Go is that it is a search aggregator (or compiler) so it passes along the bias of underlying search engines as well as adding a layer of censorship of its own. Their product is privacy, not search results.

[PAR35]

The Texas Attorney General is going after Google. He’s made a lot of enemies by taking on Big Tech and the New York Banksters.

[wildcard_redneck]

The reason my DuckDuckGo is so bad is that it actually uses Google search at the back end.

[JayGalt]

I’m not sure where I stand on this issue. Preventing spying and hidden targeting of consumers is one thing.
But in some ways this crusade seems like a form of DEI. Why should a company that builds computers make computers that can run any operating system? Why not buy a computer from a source that offers that function or build your own from components. Did Americans really gain from the breakup of ATT.
Why not err in the direction of letting the marketplace decide. It’s not that we don’t have examples of startups revolutionizing an existing niches and commanding market share in a few years. I don’t like fingers on the scale or asking companies to work against their own profitability.
Consumers always have the right to walk or to use another source. The Government support of alternative energy solution has been a wasteful boondoggle and distorted the marketplace. It has also allowed graft and improper use of public money. Isn’t the attack on tech companies similar? Preventing tracking or making tracking easy to opt out of, making it illegal to selll users data is a good use of oversight. Giving a legup to competitors is not.

[Openurmind]

“The problem with Duck Duck Go is that it is a search aggregator (or compiler) so it passes along the bias of underlying search engines as well as adding a layer of censorship of its own. Their product is privacy, not search results.”

Unfortunately that is a fact. I am perplexed why someone has not provided an honest stand alone search engine. Custom web crawlers are not hard to make.

[Openurmind]

“Why should a company that builds computers make computers that can run any operating system? “

Simple... Because when you purchase it they do not own it anymore you do. Would you buy a car from a manufacturer who forces you to only buy your gas from one source? Or force you to only allow certain people or products to be carried in it? A car that forever belongs to the manufacturer of that car and never you?

No... And it should not be like this with computers either. It is NOT theirs anymore once you purchase it. And this is what MS and manufacturers are doing... They are bullying consumers in to allow them to retain perpetual ownership when they have no right. It does NOT belong to them anymore and the consumer should have the right to do what they like with the product they purchased.

[PAR35]

They apparently do some web crawling of their own, but mainly leech off of other search engines

[Bratch]

Something else to watch for.

*****

REPORT: Palantir and Anduril Forming Consortium with SpaceX, Open AI, Sardonic and Scale AI to Bid on New Age Government (Defense) Contracts

December 22, 2024 | Sundance 

A breaking report outlines something we have predicted for well over six months.  A new era technocracy group formed around candidate and now the incoming administration of President Donald Trump.  The group holds financial interests, albeit currently in alignment with ideology.

Palantir (Peter Thiel) and defense contractor Anduril are teaming up with SpaceX (Elon Musk) and OpenAI to form a consortium group that will collaboratively bid on USG Federal contracts (likely Defense).

VIA REUTERS – Dec 22 (Reuters) – Data analytics firm Palantir Technologies (PLTR.O), opens new tab and defense tech company Anduril Industries are in talks with about a dozen competitors to form a consortium that will jointly bid for U.S. government work, the Financial Times reported on Sunday.

The consortium, which could announce agreements with other tech groups as early as January, is expected to include SpaceX, OpenAI, autonomous shipbuilder Saronic and artificial intelligence data group Scale AI, the newspaper said, citing several people with knowledge of the matter.

“We are working together to provide a new generation of defence contractors,” a person involved in developing the group told the newspaper.

The consortium will bring together the heft of some of Silicon Valley’s most valuable companies and will leverage their products to provide a more efficient way of supplying the U.S. government with cutting-edge defence and weapons capabilities, the newspaper added. (read more)

Without Peter Thiel there is no JD Vance.  Many might argue that without Elon Musk there is no President-elect Donald Trump.  I would agree with the former and disagree with the latter while admitting the Musk factor was positive in the election.

What we are seeing now is what CTH predicted we would see as a natural outcome of this tech group who purposefully aligned with Trump in the summer of 2024.

Peter Thiel (Palantir) has been very successful in gaining federal contracts for the software that combines facial recognition with artificial intelligence capabilities. Palantir’s AI can be used in DHS surveillance, as well as military operations to make targeting decisions more precise and effective.

Elon Musk (SpaceX and xAI) already have extensive contracts with the Federal government.  Now we are seeing ancillary tech groups join in collaboration with Thiel and Musk due to the access created by their relationship with President Trump and JD Vance.  None of these subsequent financial windfalls are accidental, they are all strategic and by design.

The old school of defense heavyweights, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics, are being challenged by smaller more technologically aligned companies Palantir, Anduril, SpaceX and supporting AI companies.   The new guys have an insider track due to their prepositioning on the Trump campaign.

The open question is who selected whom?  Did the new era Technocrats select Donald Trump as their strategic avenue for financial benefit; or did President Trump select the new era Technocrats as tools for election victory; or was it just a merge of interests for mutual benefit.

I suspect we are not as far away from finding out as most might think.

REMINDER HERE

[Openurmind]

“They apparently do some web crawling of their own, but mainly leech off of other search engines.”

Yes, they claim that too. But here is the thing. Take Google for example... Google actually has two sources DDG can tap. A “raw” source that has no algorithms adjusting the content, and a source with algorithms adjusting the content.

When DDG first came out they were using the raw content source and it was straight forward and unbiased. Then for some reason they switched to the biased algorithm source.

So I think they sold out to Google in order to piggyback off Google. Greed over principle... It always ruins everything that starts off good and honest.

[Brian Griffin]

An easy way for content providers to get around Google:

To read this article please type in an ad subject category (that matches one we have under contract):

Portugal

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Big Paper History Cookie:

kitchen remodel, bath remodel, roach killer, Lisbon, tomatoes, Portugal

[Jim W N]

Who's sending the strong message against big unconstitutional federal gov't malfeasance????

[Brian Griffin]

In about three months Microsoft’s support for Windows 10 will for miserly me effectively end.

I will have to use the Mac a neighbor gave me, or a Chromebook.

[Brian Griffin]

I’m not aware of any Linux machines available off the shelf at a comparable or lower price.

Microsoft Windows is menu-based, which is primarily why I tolerate and use it.

[fuzzylogic]

“cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity products”

...and not the desktop? There’s plenty of competition in those other areas.