FAIR ELECTION FUND LAUNCHES DIGITAL AD CAMPAIGN IN D.C. HIGHLIGHTING MICROSOFT’S CENSORSHIP AND IMPACT ON FREE ELECTIONS 

Five-Figure Ad Buy Amplifies Groundbreaking Report on Political Bias, Censorship, and Foreign Ties

WASHINGTON – The Fair Election Fund (FEF), a non-partisan public interest organization committed to promoting effective administration of elections in a transparent way that instills public confidence in electoral results, today announced a five-figure digital ad campaign to amplify its explosive report on Microsoft’s censorship practices and the impact on free and fair U.S. elections, in addition to its recent reports grading election commissions and secretaries of state in the battleground states of Wisconsin, Nevada, North Carolina and Michigan.

The campaign will run on major social media platforms and target policymakers, media and influencers in the nation’s capital. The Microsoft component of the effort aims to pressure the company on reforms following FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson’s August warning about companies “censoring or weakening the data security of Americans at the behest of foreign powers.”

The ads spotlight Microsoft’s pattern of political bias and national security vulnerabilities, urging accountability and action by lawmakers and regulators to investigate the company’s practices. This initiative builds on FEF’s mission to restore voter trust by exposing systemic threats to our elections. 

“Microsoft has a history of censoring conservatives, aligning with foreign adversaries, and risking our national security, and their actions demand immediate scrutiny. This ad campaign is a wake-up call to D.C. to hold bad actors accountable and prevent future partisan abuses of the electoral process.” – The Fair Election Fund

Key findings from the report include:

• LinkedIn’s content moderation spiked under the Biden Administration, removing hundreds of thousands of posts labeled as “misinformation” or “hate speech,” potentially censoring good-faith conservative discussions.
• Microsoft’s deep China ties, including source code sharing and use of Chinese engineers for U.S. federal contracts, pose national security risks that could compromise election infrastructure.
• Microsoft’s leadership shows clear partisan leanings, with Bill Gates’ $50 million donation to support Kamala Harris in 2024 and LinkedIn co-founder and Microsoft board member Reid Hoffman’s call for President Trump to become an “actual martyr” days before the July assassination attempt.
• The company’s PAC suspended donations to 147 Republicans who objected to the 2020 election certification, while ignoring similar actions by Democrats in past cycles.
• Partnerships with NewsGuard and the Global Disinformation Index target conservative media, suppressing diverse viewpoints.

FEF calls for independent audits, balanced contributions, and a federal contract review to protect American elections from corporate overreach and foreign interference.

The full report is available HERE. The series of four reports on election administration in battleground states is available HERE. For additional information, contact info@thefairelectionfund.com

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