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Trump Backed Microsoft Allegedly Involved in Online Censorship Scandal

Microsoft Corporation headquarters. State of Washington.

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By Aakansha Malia

February 7, 2025
3:00 pm
Los Angeles, CA

As U.S. official policy shifts against the inhibition of freedom of speech and expression, Microsoft, backed by President Donald Trump, has come under scrutiny for alleged press censorship. According to a report published by the Foundation for Freedom Online, a free speech watchdog, on January 27, Microsoft was involved in suppressing Americans’ online speech. The report claims that Microsoft, which is part of a $500 billion artificial intelligence joint venture supported by President Trump, “not only took part but also actively funded and partnered with several key initiatives to inhibit online content.” This development comes as Trump announced earlier this week that Microsoft might acquire ByteDance-owned TikTok, sparking the possibility of a competitive bidding war for its sale. He stated, “Numerous people are talking to me. Very substantial people.

This development comes as Trump announced earlier this week that Microsoft might acquire ByteDance-owned TikTok, sparking the possibility of a competitive bidding war for its sale. He stated, “Numerous people are talking to me. Very substantial people. We have a lot of interest in it, and the United States will be a big beneficiary… I’d only do it if the United States benefits.” Not only would the potential acquisition provide Microsoft with a major presence in the social media sector, but it could also mark a crucial moment at the intersection of tech industry developments and geopolitical considerations.

The report also comes amidst Trump administration’s strategy to dominate and to lead the world in Artificial Intelligence after it sanctioned an executive order that demands a new policy direction for a rapidly evolving technology that’s the focus of intense competition with China.

However, shocking report unveiled several initiatives in which the tech giant Microsoft participated, including the Election Integrity Partnership. This initiative reportedly worked with the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, as well as the State Department’s Global Engagement Center, to address misinformation claims surrounding the 2020 election. It also involved the University of Washington’s Center for an Informed Public. The government officials who led these censorship initiatives between 2016 and 2020 have since transitioned to top roles at Microsoft. According to the report, these officials are now engaged in censorship efforts under the company’s umbrella.

In another instance, the report revealed that Hillary Clinton, the Democratic Party, and conservative critics of Donald Trump in 2016 were all discredited by alleged Russian influence operations. This claim was made in a Microsoft-funded 2020 study by Jacob Shapiro, a political science professor at Princeton and special adviser to the Director of National Intelligence. Shapiro also alleged that Roy Moore, a Republican candidate in Alabama’s 2017 special Senate election, was aided by a Russian influence operation involving more than 600 Twitter accounts. However, the Russian influence operation was later revealed to be a major political scandal fabricated by a group funded by Reid Hoffman, the billionaire co-founder of LinkedIn and a member of Microsoft’s board of directors. The operation, identified by Hamilton 68, a misinformation dashboard from the Alliance for Securing Democracy, flagged the 600 Twitter accounts as deeply and irreparably flawed.

Furthermore, Matthew Masterson, Microsoft’s director of information integrity, was described as “a deep state alum of the censorship industrial complex” who has served in various roles across the federal government. The report pointed out that Masterson previously worked at a major online censorship hub—the Stanford Internet Observatory, which was famously involved in the Election Integrity Partnership, “the most influential group that worked to censor the 2020 election.”

This is not the first time Microsoft has been accused of censorship. Last year, a Bloomberg Businessweek investigation revealed how Microsoft-owned Bing removes search results related to human rights, democracy, and other sensitive topics in China. Florida Senator Marco Rubio lambasted the tech giant, stating, “American companies try to rationalize their choices to U.S. lawmakers and regulators, but there is no defending censorship at the behest of the Chinese Communist Party.”