Microsoft Fakes Grass Roots Support… Again

Rumors, Conspiracies, etc.

from the didn't-they-learn-last-time? dept

Back in 1999 we posted a story here about Microsoft faking a grass roots effort to try to show that the public supported Microsoft against the government in the antitrust case. There was, at the time, a big outrage. I guess no one remembers anything more than a year old. Microsoft is up to its old tricks again, with a twist. This time, they’re calling people pretending to be a “public opinion poll” about the Microsoft case. If the person expresses any sort of sympathy for Microsoft’s side they’re sent a pre-written letter to send to their local politicians. Each letter is slightly different, so that no one would “catch on”, but apparently they weren’t different enough. Plus, the letters often came with incorrect return addresses (sometimes cities that didn’t exist!) and at least twice from people who were dead. Way to go Microsoft.