No Microsoft announcement about disabling computers sharing fringe content | Fact check
The claim: Microsoft announced plan to disable computers sharing 'non-mainstream content' online
A Feb. 3 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) shows the headline of an article with a picture of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates.
"Microsoft To Disable Computers of Users Who Share ‘Non-Mainstream Content’ Online," reads the headline.
The post garnered more than 7,000 likes in two days. Similar versions of the claim were shared on Instagram, Facebook and X, formerly Twitter.
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Our rating: False
A spokesperson for the company said no such plan has been announced. The claim originated from a website that regularly publishes misinformation.
No such announcement from Microsoft
Emelia Katon, a senior account executive at Microsoft, told Paste BN in an email that the claim was false.
The article, published by The People's Voice, bases its claim on a January NBC interview with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.
The interview doesn't show the CEO discussing the disabling of personal computers, however. Nadella talks about misinformation, the upcoming election and the tech industry's work to detect deepfakes and AI.
When asked if he wanted to put a stop to any of the misinformation online, Nadella expressed his desire to work alongside tools such as AI.
"With all of the technology, I am more in the camp of 'Let us make sure that the technology ultimately is just a tool,'" he said in the interview before advertising Microsoft's new AI-powered software called Copilot.
Fact check: UN didn't say digital IDs would be required; post distorts aim of new project
The People's Voice, previously known as NewsPunch, has repeatedly published fabricated stories. Among those debunked by Paste BN in recent months are false claims that the World Health Organization demanded surveillance powers to monitor every person on earth and that Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley said only Bill Gates 'can save humanity.'
Paste BN reached out to The People's Voice and the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Lead Stories and the Associated Press also debunked the claim.
Our fact-check sources:
- Emelia Katon, Feb. 7, Email exchange with Paste BN
- NBC News (YouTube), Jan. 30, Exclusive: Microsoft CEO Nadella on the promise and problems of A.I.
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