Staff Reports
Microsoft’s recent successes in Washington have been overshadowed by the company’s ongoing allegiance to censorship initiatives that many conservatives find deeply troubling. After receiving a hearty endorsement from the President for its ambitious Project Stargate, a half-trillion-dollar investment in AI led by OpenAI—a company Microsoft has backed—the tech giant now has eyes on acquiring TikTok. This ambitious merger must take place before a looming deadline in April, or TikTok faces a nationwide ban. However, amid these victories, Microsoft continues to foster partnerships that many argue threaten free speech and promote the very censorship Biden’s administration has been criticized for.
It’s undeniably impressive how swiftly Microsoft has maneuvered its way into the upper echelons of political favor while retaining its Biden-era policies on online censorship. A comprehensive report from the Foundation for Freedom Online shows Microsoft significantly empowered the censorship apparatus during a time when conservative voices were being silenced at an alarming rate. Of particular note is the company’s vigorous partnership with NewsGuard, a group many consider a guardian of the establishment’s narrative while simultaneously employing a blacklist against conservative media outlets.
BREAKING: Microsoft has maintained controversial censorship partnerships and initiatives from the Biden era, including ties to NewsGuard, as it publicly cozies up to the Trump administration pic.twitter.com/oVztrkLeBO
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) February 3, 2025
As the tech world buzzes about Microsoft, it is essential to recall the similarities between this partnership and classic tales of dystopian governance. Microsoft’s sleek Edge browser comes pre-loaded with NewsGuard’s blacklist—a move executed shortly after NewsGuard’s inception. This partnership has been described as “orwellian” by former FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, highlighting just how far-reaching Microsoft’s influence on censorship truly is. While inquiries from conservative media outlets like Breitbart about this ongoing collaboration have gone unanswered, the implication remains clear: Microsoft is more invested in stifling dissent than upholding democratic ideals.
In an alarming turn, Microsoft has also funneled nearly a million dollars to the University of Washington’s Center for an Informed Public. This organization, part of the ill-famed Election Integrity Partnership, aided in censoring pro-Trump voices during the 2020 election cycle—an interference that could very well have swayed the tightly contested election. The duo behind this initiative, Jevin West and Kate Starbird, have garnered substantial financial backing from Microsoft, raising eyebrows over their credibility while perpetuating narratives on “misinformation” that heavily lean towards a political bias.
Microsoft’s recruitment of figures like Matthew Masterson, who previously worked with the Center for an Informed Public, only amplifies concerns about the intentions behind its censorship policies. Masterson proposed a centralized federal hub aimed at combating disinformation—a concept that evolved into the now-infamous Disinformation Governance Board under the Department of Homeland Security. This entity sparked outrage, ultimately dissolving in less than a month due to public backlash. Meanwhile, Clint Watts, another key player at Microsoft with an FBI background, is notorious for the creation of the Hamilton 68 dashboard—an initiative, initially aimed at tracking supposed Russian disinformation, that instead labeled countless American citizens, particularly Trump supporters, as agents of foreign influence.
As Microsoft continues to cultivate relationships within the censorship landscape while courting political favor to expand its empire, many conservatives watch with skepticism. With the company’s history of silencing dissent echoing loudly, the looming acquisition of TikTok raises profound questions regarding who will ultimately dictate the flow of information in this digital age. The specter of censorship lurks large over newly forged alliances, leaving many to wonder whether Microsoft can mine enough goodwill to keep its image shining bright—or if it will be outed for its double-dealing as retained ties to anti-conservative agendas come under the microscope.
