Did Microsoft announce plans to disable the computers of users who share "non-mainstream content" online? No, that's not true: This claim is completely made up, mis-stating what Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said in an interview with NBC's Lester Holt. Nadella did not say computers would be disabled if people were sharing "non-mainstream content" online, as is clear from the video and transcript of the interview. While a website's headline made this claim, the article provided no evidence that Microsoft made that announcement.
The claim appeared in an article published by The People's Voice on February 3, 2024, titled "Microsoft To Disable Computers of Users Who Share 'Non-Mainstream Content' Online" (archived here). It began:
Microsoft has announced plans to disable the computers of people who share 'non-mainstream' content online, in an attempt to combat so-called 'misinformation' in the run-up to the 2024 election.
Users on social media only saw this title, description and thumbnail:
Microsoft To Disable Computers of Users Who Share 'Non-Mainstream Content' Online
Microsoft has announced plans to disable the computers of people who share 'non-mainstream' content online, in an attempt to combat so-called 'misinformation' in the run-up to the 2024 election.
The article also uses an image of Microsoft founder and former Chairman Bill Gates, who was not part of the interview the article refers to.
The article embedded a video from the interview in which Microsoft Chairman Nadella (archived here) was discussing the future of artificial intelligence. According to the transcript available with the recording on YouTube (archived here), Nadella never says the company will disable computers that belong to individuals due to the content they share. Neither the video nor the transcript contain the word "disable," or any variation of the word. Here is the video:
The People's Voice
The People's Voice has a record of publishing false stories. It describes itself as a resource "comprised of various web pages operated by Fact Checked Limited," but it has nothing to do with fact-checking.
As of this writing, its website contained a liability disclaimer, saying:
FACT CHECKED LIMITED AND/OR ITS SUPPLIERS MAKE NO REPRESENTATIONS ABOUT THE SUITABILITY, RELIABILITY, AVAILABILITY, TIMELINESS, AND ACCURACY OF THE INFORMATION, SOFTWARE, PRODUCTS, SERVICES AND RELATED GRAPHICS CONTAINED ON THE SITE FOR ANY PURPOSE. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ALL SUCH INFORMATION, SOFTWARE, PRODUCTS, SERVICES AND RELATED GRAPHICS ARE PROVIDED 'AS IS' WITHOUT WARRANTY OR CONDITION OF ANY KIND.
Other Lead Stories fact checks about Bill Gates can be found here.
