Posted on 12/24/2024 4:56:04 AM PST by 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.
It is my understanding that the Red Chinese want to shove Microsoft Windows aside.
The alternative could be used by other folks.
What about secrecy?
My comments here can be read in Beijing too, already.
The PCs I bought prior to laptops were assembled locally.
The assembler would load Dos (first PC) or Windows 3.1 (second PC) and pay Microsoft a royalty.
“desktop”
The young folks tend to use smartphones.
Staring at a small screen for over 20 minutes or more typically gives me a headache.
I use Luxxle as my search engine.
It has the advantage of overriding Microsoft’s new page cellphone service monthly data allotment gobbling efforts.
Corporations globally are still dominated by Windows, a few Mac’s sprinkled in.
For phones, 80% are some Android variant, the rest are Apple. I’d argue the bigger problem is the app stores of these two - policing what apps people have available.
I have a hard time seeing anything coming of this if the topics are AI, cybersecurity, ...plenty of competition.
The marketplace would ensure a car that onl ran gas from one company would not sell. There are plenty of companies building systems that will run Linux or the operating system you chose. If that was a consumer demand then those companies would grow. No need for the Gvt to choose winners or control the product line.
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/shop/linux-pcs
These are from many companies Microsoft, Dell, Samsung etc.
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“Microsoft Windows is menu-based.”
So is Linux. Maybe you are behind the times and not up to speed, but the new Linux distros are almost exactly like using windows 7.
Full Graphic interface, same right click menu options, drag and drop and all. And the menu/file system is superior to MS.
It is no longer just a command line terminal... It is now a full point and click operating system that rivals Win 7.
https://duckduckgo.com/?t=lm&q=Linux+menus&iax=images&ia=images
Good. Then the heavy hand of Government is unnecessary. Let the distortion of the marketplace by power hungry ideology driven bureaucrats cease.
I already own several, why should I have to buy a new computer to get Linux? No... These I have are MINE not theirs and it should be easy for me to change the operating system on MINE if I want.
Anytime you find government and industry colluding (fascism) to strip citizens of basic constitutional rights, you squash it like a bug.
“...and not the desktop? There’s plenty of competition in those other areas.”
I absolutely agree. That is where they need to start.
No... If there was ever a case for a anti-competitive antitrust monopoly practice it would be the product sabotage scams implemented by MS concerning their OS. It is one of the most underhanded crooked schemes I have seen yet. It is outright abuse of their customers period.
I think that is more a wishlist than something you are owed. A premise that if taken to it’s natural conclusion betrays it’s fallacy.
how many people buy a microsoft computer believing that computer will allow them to run Apple software or some other operating system?
If I bought an induction stovetop and complained that I couldn’t use my aluminum pans on it I would not be on solid ground. I believe your complaint is analogous. I bought Dell machines for decades. The product lost value and having switched to Macbook 15 years ago I would never buy another windows machine. If the mac envirment deteriorated or something better emerged I would switch again. What I don’t want is the Government controlling the industry.
Look, I am all for free market without government control. But what MS has done over the years with their anti-trust and extortion business model and practice is just shy of criminal. If we were talking about a different company I might agree with you.
I lived it play by play. Starting with making sure that the OS steals back any new processing capacity or speed with unneeded bloat to slow it right back down. To this day in their arrogant greed they STILL do this crap to take away any advantage new faster processors and bus speeds give us. As soon as computers speed up MS slows them right back down on purpose with bloat crap. They think that processing and speed belongs to them and their crap.
It has been crooked business from the get go. They are the very example of crooked business. In fact, their crooked extortion business models spread to everything else in the world. We didn’t have that business model before Microsoft.
They are sadistic greedy monopolists who get off on abusing their customers. And they make sure that no one can compete with them by extorting the manufacturers into collaborating with their extortion. No they are criminals who force their garbage on their customers because they have a monopoly and control 95% of the market. And they have made sure they locked out competition with anti-trust practices.
Now they are to the point where their product is not even an OS, it is a glorified smart phone to access cloud based accounts and app subscriptions. They can’t even honestly claim they are an OS anymore. So they have rendered our computers as high priced app based smart phones with subscriptions. And they purposely did everything they could to make sure you cannot use an option on your own product you purchased.
In their arrogance it never belongs to you, it will forever belong to MS... There is only one car manufacturer and they have total control over what you can or cannot do with that car you paid good money for. And folks do not have a choice. Not everyone can afford a MAC. They are WAY over priced for most. It is stupid to pay that much more for a MAC. Their prices are not even close to being competitive.
I see your point but it is somewhat analogous to unions.
In the beginning there was a place for unions as a way to empower workers to get living wages. That time passed and collective bargaining is now a destructive & distorting force.
I think that there is room for another company(s) to swoop in and exploit the opportunity that MS furnished by offering a better product. Exposing the product gating aspects of MS offerings would help drive that process. IMO sunlight would be more efficient and have less unintended consequences than empowering bureaucrats. I agree cloud based subscription aps are not in consumer interest. They are a money tap for the corporation. I avoid whenever possible. It’s a pet hate of mine but I hate bureaucrats even more.
I’m thinking it might work out if AI & “transgender” both went away at about the same time.
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