As Quora once pointed out, Microsoft has borne the moniker of “the Evil Empire” since the 1980s as it sought to create a near-monopoly for its Windows operating system (1).

Very often, it has not played very nice, using its size and muscle to influence politicians and journalists around the world, by enticements when it can, but with intimidation when it believes it must.

Microsoft is not the only company that uses these tactics, even in the IT industry(2). But the company has proven to be very good at them.

A website called Techrights recently accused Microsoft of, in essence, trying to control the British government where open-source standards and free software policies are concerned (3). These policies would cut into the company’s bottom line.

While the word “blackmail” has been bandied about, what Microsoft is doing in Great Britain to influence members of Parliament is not illegal, albeit unseemly. Unless the member being lobbied sees things Microsoft’s way, by giving its software preference, the company will start closing plants in his or her constituency.

Though these tactics have worked in the past, the government and media in Great Britain and other countries, India in particular, have started to resist.









Fake Journalists

Another piece in Techrights suggests that Microsoft buys favorable media coverage by hiring fake “journalists” who give the company favorable coverage (4).

Accepting money from anyone, whether it is a private company or a politician, in return for slanted coverage, is considered highly unethical in the journalism profession. The practice is more common overseas than in the United States.

Ironically enough, according to LUCID PRfolio, Apple Computer, Microsoft’s main competitor, takes the opposite stance and not only eschews paying for favorable coverage, but also is very transparent when flaws are discovered in its products (5). By contrast, when Microsoft discovers product flaws, it tends to downplay the implications.

Apple, as a reward for its honesty, has received harsh criticism in the media. CNet, an information technology journal, has been accused of accepting money from Microsoft and other companies in return for favorable reviews of its products. Thus, the line between independent journalism and advertising tends to be blurred.