Bonum Certa Men Certa

Microsoft as Political Movement in the US, Maybe India Too

Hypocrisy defined

"Linux is a cult that captures the best-and-brightest kids."

--Jim Gray (Microsoft Research)



Entire separation between technology and politics is a convenient simplification, but it rarely serves the prudent observer who is interested in answers. As Richard Stallman once put it, "geeks like to think that they can ignore politics, you can leave politics alone, but politics won't leave you alone." Google may have had to learn this the hard way because it witnesses not only existing Microsoft employees but former ones aligning against it too. At the same time, Microsoft is inciting Washington DC against Google [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] in what only can be described as a contemptuous display of power. Microsoft uses cronies to achieve this and by all means, that's just putting it as bluntly as it comes, simply because it's true and well substantiated.



Although we mentioned this a couple of weeks ago, PR Watch has just gotten around to explaining how Microsoft uses AstroTurf campaigns against Google.

For PR support in that campaign, Microsoft turned to LMG, a secretive Washington DC public affairs firm that specializes in astroturf campaigns. Thompson and Vogelstein expect the anti-Google campaign to intensify in 2009, with a focus on painting the company as a threat to personal privacy.


Particularly, as the essay points out, LawMedia Group played a role here and PR Watch describes it as follows.

LawMedia Group -- also referred to as LMG -- is a secretive Washington DC public affairs firm. The firm's website says it "unites the worlds of law, communications, strategic counseling and crisis management into seamless campaigns for Fortune 100 companies, trade associations, start-ups and non-profits." [1] Ads for LMG describe its services as including "government relations" (lobbying), "grassroots lobbying," "issue / initiative / petition management," "media production" and "opposition research." [2]


LawMedia is one of those agencies which in a decent society would be dismantled. When AstroTurfing/legalised bribery (commonly known as "lobbying") becomes a 'norm', justice cannot prevail, let alone be ever reached. We've mentioned LawMedia Group on many occasions [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] since its involvement was initially exposed [1, 2] for its dealings with Microsoft. It serves to illustrate that Microsoft's letters-from-the-dead tactics are far from outdated.

In other news, something is happening which involves a former ELCOT officer. ELCOT's success story with GNU/Linux (Ballnux unfortunately) was noted in a video that can be found here and we believe there may have an important update that relates to previous coverage of what Microsoft does in India, namely:



We received some additional information which may suggest that other officers whose choices favour Free software are being moved or removed, but at whose behest? According to a report from the Deccan Chronicle (newspaper in Hyderabad, India), "IAS officer faces wrath, shifted again." Here is the 'meat' of the story:

Jan. 25: Senior IAS officer C. Uma Shankar has set a record of sorts. His transfer last Friday to the Small Savings department from the post of Managing Director of Arasu Cable TV Corporation was the fourth in just six months.

Said to be an efficient, tech-savvy officer and known for his role in developing and promoting e-governance, he has been credited with the introduction of open source software during his brief stint in ELCOT (Electronics Corporation of Tamil Nadu Limited).

His transfer order came a day after the officer told the media in Vellore that it would be better for the State to take over the Sumangali Cable Vision (SCV). The officer was also critical of the damage caused allegedly by the SCV to the Arasu Cable TV infrastructure in some parts of the state.

Earlier, Mr Uma Shankar was said to have been transferred from ELCOT after he found fault with an errant IT firm that was run by a person with connections.


In response to this, said one person, "It's very sad how a honest govt officer is being harassed for doing his job."

Uma Shankar wrote back: "I saw the postings on my latest transfer today only. I am accustomed to lightning transfers. Transfers cannot affect my morale."

“Why is that whenever someone is encouraging Free software adoption in India, something sudden and abrupt creeps in?”Another person remarks: "It is not good for the government if it punishes the sincere officers who devote their time for the welfare of the state. It will definitely encourage corruption, fraud and maladministration."

Uma Shankar also wrote to a public group about his experience with Ubuntu and SUSE: "I have been using Ubuntu and Suse linux. Of all the distributions, Ubuntu is the best as it comes with full free online upgrade support at no cost. It has a 32 bit and 64 bit version. All of them are free. It is extremely user friendly. I have fallen in love with it."

Why is that whenever someone is encouraging Free software adoption in India, something sudden and abrupt creeps in? The theory remains that Microsoft might be pulling strings as it did in Massachusetts, but evidence is lacking. Can anyone help?

Recent Techrights' Posts

Misinformation is Not Intelligence
It's low-grade plagiarism and it fails to show any signs of intelligence
'Tech' Gimmicks Are for Advertising, Not for Usability
In the case of Microsoft, they latched onto slop
BetaNews Sacked Brian Fagioli and Deleted His Comments, But He Still Tries to Use the "BetaNews" Brand for Self-Affirmation
Fagioli takes the work of other people
[Meme] Hard to Be a Better Person?
Sooner or later they'll realise that for each pound I spend they need to spend about 1,000 times more
New US Editor for The Register is a Microsoft Booster
"Avram Piltch has served as US editor for The Register since July 2025."
 
IBM's Debt Rose by Almost 10 Billion Dollars in the Past 6 Months Alone
The "hey hi" circus is coming to an end
Yes, Master
Gaslighting by actual racists
Microsoft Bribes and Buys Politicians to Tell Europe What to Do About Free Software (Which It's Attacking)
Microsoft: we speak for the thing that we are attacking! Follow the money...
Making Backups Quickly and Reliably
Backups are imperative, more so in an age of uncertainty, unpredictable weather, and worsening standards (quality of products going down while prices go up)
Techrights Investigation: Estimating the Point in Time LinuxIac Turned Into LLM Slop (Part of the Time)
Bobby Borisov got lazy
10th Month, Ten Weeks From Now, at Ten AM
In Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Thursday, July 24, 2025
IRC logs for Thursday, July 24, 2025
A Nadella Memo Distracts From Microsoft's Cheapening Of the Workforce
Right now the "MSM" (mainstream media) is flooded/overwhelmed by garbage pieces that relay lies for Nadella
Vanishing Faces of GNU/Linux
Free software projects do not depend on any one person or company to still exist
Microsoft Says It Lost 400 Million Windows Users, Now It's Waiting for GNU/Linux to Stop Booting on 'Old' PCs
When it comes to Windows, Microsoft is fully aware of the issue and statements it made earlier this summer suggest it lost 400 million Windows users
Slopwatch: LinuxTechLab, linuxsecurity.com, LinuxIac, and More
Also: The Register's Microsoft agenda (new editor)
Gemini Links 25/07/2025: Gemtext Aware Titan Editor and Gemini Protocol Comeback
Links for the day
Links 24/07/2025: Convicted Felon Quits UNESCO, "Vibe Coding Goes Wrong", and Signalgate Gets Worse
Links for the day
Gemini Links 24/07/2025: Forgejo Woes and Smolnet Directory Week
Links for the day
Links 24/07/2025: Storage Tapes Still Kicking, Windows TCO 'on Steroids' (Microsoft-Induced Catastrophes)
Links for the day
Bobby Borisov (LinuxIac) Has Apparently Begun Experimenting With LLM Slop, So We Cannot Trust LinuxIac Anymore
So did LinuxIac become a slopfarm? Maybe not yet, but it's getting there
Informa TechTarget's ITProToday is Becoming a Slopfarm Generated by Microsoft Chatbots
Busted.
The LLM Con Artists Are Highly Destructive
Who will ever be held accountable for this scam?
Too Bribed by Microsoft to Move to Free Software?
Microsoft lies and Microsoft bribery (in politics)
Microsoft Hiring European Politicians is Another Form of Bribery; There Should be a European Investigation
When Microsoft bribed people in Europe for OOXML (there's no denying this!) a European government delegate said that Microsoft operated like a cult
Reda Demanded That FSF Removes Its Founder, Now Reda Works Directly for Microsoft
A sellout and a traitor, first working for GAFAM, now Microsoft
PCLinuxOS is Raising Money to Support Development After Fire Incident at the Host
PCLinuxOS has not had announcements lately
Speed of the Site Should be Better Now
The "bot attacks" impact the speed of the sister site too
Getting More From AnalogNowhere
Recently we used many images from AnalogNowhere
Microsoft, Microsofters and 'Secure' Boot Shills Already Storming the LWN Report About Expiring Certificate, Shooting the Messenger
LWN has clearly stuck a nerve
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, July 23, 2025
IRC logs for Wednesday, July 23, 2025
Disable "Secure" Boot Today (the Only Better Time to Do So Was Yesterday)
Don't trust anything Red Hat tells you about security
Links 23/07/2025: Windows Killed Company After 150+ Years, US Government Mimics Russia's Attacks on the Media
Links for the day
Freedom Generally Wins at the End, History Shows (But It's Constantly Attacked, Too)
At the moment people realise "Linux" (e.g. Android) isn't enough to guarantee any freedoms
Over 3 Months Later Brett Wilson LLP Still Unable to Recruit a Media Lawyer?
"Immediate start", but not found... still unfilled
“Inhumane” and “Disgusting” Mass Layoff Execution, According to Microsoft Staff
The workers are looking for other places to work
The Free Software Foundation (FSF) Has a New Slogan for Its 40th Anniversary
The freedoms are what's most important
Microsoft is Trying to "Pull a Nokia" on GNU/Linux as Desktop/Laptop Platform
We all remember that rather well, don't we?
LLM Slopfarms gbhackers.com, "Cyber Press" and CyberSecurityNews Are Drowning Google News (and Shame on Google for Feeding and Facilitating Them)
All are run by the same people
Links 23/07/2025: Droplets GUI Patent Monopoly Challenge, Nokia Leverages Illegal Patent Court Against Rivals
Links for the day
Gemini Links 23/07/2025: Community in Geminispace and Challenges With Old Computers
Links for the day
Links 23/07/2025: Slop Patents Tackled, Slop Copyright Misuses Tackled by Politicians
Links for the day
Our Three Lawsuits Against Microsofters Are About to Become a Lot More Relevant to GNU/Linux
The Master will easily understand why Garrett has been attacking me since 2012
Links 23/07/2025: Retreating From Transparency on Jeffrey Epstein, We No Longer Have Press Freedom
Links for the day
Gemini Links 23/07/2025: Piano and Food
Links for the day
New and Old
On Ageism in Tech
Slop Is Not Intelligence and It Does Not Enhance Productivity
Like voice dictation, which cannot tell the difference between "sheet" and "shit"
EPO Crimes Are Spreading to the British Court System
Society is now paying the price for failing to tackle crimes at the EPO
It's Time to Dump SharePoint and Here's What to Use Instead
Nextcloud, ownCloud, Bookstack, MediaWiki, and MediaGoblin
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, July 22, 2025
IRC logs for Tuesday, July 22, 2025
Brett Wilson LLP Has Gone Silent
Sometimes silence says more than nothing at all
Slopwatch: LinuxSecurity, Planet Ubuntu, and LinuxTechLab
some slopfarms show no remorse and they don't value their reputation at all
Links 23/07/2025: Book Bans, Storms, and Kangaroo Court for Patents Commits More Unlawful Acts of Overreach
Links for the day