Bonum Certa Men Certa

European Commission Keeps Getting Filled with Microsoft Cronies

Siim Kallas - GWB
Siim Kallas met Bush, Ballmer



Summary: Opposition to Free software inside the European Commission comes from familiar directions; Latest example is Siim Kallas, who is close to Microsoft

WHEN Microsoft senses that a regulatory department is responsive to Microsoft's tricks and crimes, then one solution is compliance and another is deformation of the regulatory department. The motto must be like: If you cannot influence the people, replace them.



Microsoft's influence in the United States government is indicative of Microsoft's identity as a "political movement", with notable examples such as its subversion of the US DOJ [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8].

A reader of ours has just brought to our attention the following new article which says: "The vice president of the European Commission has warned that any progress in using open source and open standards in the region will have to be tempered against the possibility that the software could have downsides in terms of security. [...] Although slightly faltering, Kallas' comments appear to reflect the view - championed by proprietary software makers - that open approaches to software development are somehow more insecure than closed-source techniques and as a result more exposed to hacking or other attacks."

“The motto must be like: If you cannot influence the people, replace them.”Well, the US Department of Defense says that Free software is even more secure. That was earlier this month (or last month when the White House moved to Free software). Our reader then adds: "I wonder, is there a connection between this VP and Microsoft? Donations?"

We did some research and found clear links. There are even more Microsoft cronies inside the European Commission, some of whom we covered before (many more references and examples in there, including names). Someone from Red Hat is aware of more examples that we've missed, but he did not name them. That's understandable because there are only borderline cases.

The latest FUD which comes from this vice president of the European Commission was worth investigating because Siim Kallas gave a keynote speech for Microsoft, a company that the European Commission considers to be violating many laws. The page from Microsoft.com says: "The Honourable Siim Kallas, Commissioner & Vice President, Administrative Affairs, Audit, and Anti-Fraud, European Commission giving keynote speech at Microsoft Government Leaders Forum Europe 2006"

There is even a nice photo in there and that's just one example. Microsoft is lobbying heavily in Europe and it turns out that Kallas was against compulsory registration for lobbyists. What is he trying to hide?

A voluntary registration system for lobbyists has been backed by the European Commission in its Green Paper on transparency released on 3 May. This 'more credible' approach was chosen despite "very strong pressure" from NGOs for it to be made compulsory, according to Siim Kallas, Commissioner for Administrative Affairs, Audit and Anti-Fraud


According to a video from europa.eu, "Steve Ballmer, Chief Executive Officer of Microsoft, met Siim Kallas, Vice-President of the EC in charge of Administrative Affairs, Audit and Anti-Fraud."

Recent Techrights' Posts

Writing and Coding Isn't Always Enough
Last year we had to assume a role we didn't have before: litigants
Autumn Has Come
Autumn should be exciting in all sorts of ways; it'll also mark our anniversary
IBM Has Taken Control of GNOME
Don't expect a successor to be found any time soon
 
Links 01/09/2025: Fresh Backlash Against Slop and "Norway’s Electricity Crisis is About to Hit Britain"
Links for the day
Links 01/09/2025: Catching Up (Mostly via Deutsche Welle), "Windows TCO" Effect in UK
Links for the day
Gemini Links 01/09/2025: Linguistic Barriers and "Web 1.0 Hosting"
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, August 31, 2025
IRC logs for Sunday, August 31, 2025
The UEFI 9/11 - Part IV - External Interference
They all seem to be playing a role in crushing Software Freedom and self-determination for users
Links 31/08/2025: Baggage Claim Scams, an Insurrectionist’s War on Culture, and a Sudden Robotics Hype
Links for the day
Gemini Links 31/08/2025: Reviewing Netsurf and Slightly Less Historic Ada Design
Links for the day
Links 31/08/2025: Google Gmail Data Breach and LF Puff Pieces for Pay
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, August 30, 2025
IRC logs for Saturday, August 30, 2025
This is What Google News Has Become
Moments ago
The Slopfarm WebProNews Has Turned Google News Into a Laughing Stock Full of Plagiarism by Slop
If Google News dies of neglect, that's one thing. It's starting to seem like active neglect by Google is a form of participation.
Do What is Moral, as What's Legal Isn't Always Moral
Do what's objectively moral, no matter the costs and the risks
Slopwatch: Google News Assisting Plagiarism and Anti-Linux FUD, Serial Slopper Rips Off Linux-Centric Journalists
This makes the Web a much worse place and lessens the incentive to do journalism
Links 30/08/2025: NVIDIA Fakes Results to Hide a Bubble Already in Implosion Phase, Data Breaches Galore, Important Win for Workers' Union in Canada
Links for the day
Representing and Speaking for Animals
If I ever choose to take this matter to tribunal with animals-centric NGOs on my side, it'll get some press coverage for sure
The UEFI 9/11 - Part II - Campaign of Censorship and Defamation Against Critics
In dictatorships, humour serves an important role. It's tragic.
In Kazakhstan, Yandex Estimated to be 20 Times Bigger Than Microsoft
Bing is measured as down this month
Shutterstock Not Enough? The Register MS Uses Slop Images in Articles (Seemingly More and More Over Time)
Cost-saving trajectory amid office shutdown?
Gemini Links 30/08/2025: Games, PostmarketOS, and Slop
Links for the day
Links 30/08/2025: Imgur Uproar and Many Ukraine Updates (Mediazona Reports Over 200,000 Russians Died for Putin)
Links for the day
How Not to Build Software
code forges that need a Web browser perhaps fill some 'niche' demand
GAFAM and "MATA"
The use of dark humour there hopefully helps illuminate what a lot of "modern" technology became like and how it interacts with human civilisation (to what ends and whose gain)
Birds Are Not "Pests and Vermin", Privacy is Not a Crime, and GNU/Linux is Not 'Hacking Platform'
I could not help but think of Free software analogies
The Sites Should Be Very Fast Again
That issue is now resolved
Flying in 2025
worse than ever before
Activists, Including Technical Activists, Need Not Pursue Affirmation
Techrights doesn't play or participate in a "popularity contest"
The UEFI 9/11 - Part III - Chaos is Scheduled to Happen Second Thursday of September (No Matter What the Microsofters Tell You)
The clock is ticking
Downplaying the Impact of "UEFI 9/11" is a Losing Strategy
we won't publish much whilst on holiday
Government Sites Should Run Free Software
Not proprietary bloatware with buzzwords
LLM Slopfarms Take No Breaks
When people run sites by bots they don't need to worry about "breaks"
GNOME Having a Meltdown Again
Thanks and farewell to Steven Deobald
Gemini Links 30/08/2025: Low Tech and Hunchbin 1.0.6
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, August 29, 2025
IRC logs for Friday, August 29, 2025