12.14.10

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On the Web, Microsoft Loves Hiding

Posted in Antitrust, Google, Microsoft at 5:15 pm by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

“Government is the shadow cast by business over society.”–John Dewey (1859-1952)

Summary: Microsoft is building coalitions to compete on the Web against Google and some of this includes frivolous legal action

IF A SUGGESTION is made that — somewhat sarcastically speaking — “Microsoft is everywhere”, a lot of evidence becomes necessary. Consider what a government delegate once said. If Microsoft was a political party or militant motion, then it would be an idealogical movement like democracy or communism. It strives to ensure that surrounding parties pick its side and a few years ago it gave money to Facebook. Well, now more than ever it’s confirmed that Microsoft tried swallowing Facebook as a whole.. Since we wrote about it before it has been possible to explain Facebook’s pro-Microsoft leanings (Facebook is like Hotmail with different branding). Microsoft is also hiding behind Yahoo! after taking over from the inside, so many people who think they use Yahoo! search actually use Microsoft. Is Microsoft hiding its own presence from the public? Jason sure thinks so:

The funny thing I noticed: “Microsoft” is never mentioned. It’s all copy about a “decision engine” or a “next-generation search engine” or similar, but it’s been about a week or so and you’d never know by listening that Bing was from Microsoft.

Microsoft is also operating some anti-Google entities like iCOMP, which TechSpot has just written this new article about:

For the last three years, Microsoft has been funding the Initiative for a Competitive Online Marketplace (ICOMP), which has been pointing out Google’s dominance in search to regulators and journalists, according to The Telegraph. Microsoft is ICOMP’s sole sponsor and the software giant is responsible for picking ICOMP’s directors. ICOMP helped push the EU to launch an investigation into Google last month. It all began in 2007, when Microsoft and the PR agency Burson-Marsteller formed ICOMP to fight against Google’s acquisition of DoubleClick for $3.1 billion.

“ICOMP’s mission is to promote widespread support for principles that are essential to a healthy online environment,” says the organization’s mission statement. “Key goals are to encourage competition, transparency, data privacy and respect for intellectual property protection as well as well as the adoption of best practices to promote creativity, innovation, safety and trust. ICOMP’s overall objective is the sustainable growth of the Internet consistent with the rule of law.”

Microsoft has been using government connections and it is already lobbying by proxy regarding the likes of ITA [1, 2], which Microsoft boosters help demystify:

Microsoft has joined a coalition consisting primarily of travel sites that is lobbying to block Google’s pending acquisition of ITA Software.

FairSearch.org announced on December 13 that Microsoft, Foundem, Level…com, and ZUJI joined the group. Existing FairSearch.org members include Expedia.com, Hotwire, TripAdvisor, Farelogix, Kayak and Sabre Holdings.

Mary Jo Microsoft ought to explain that many of these motions against Google are Microsoft coalitions and the same tricks are being used against IBM right now. The one to be portrayed negatively here (for market distortion) is Microsoft, and neither Google nor IBM. █

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