Democracy Forward

Those who participate in advancing civil society, whether in the political realm, or as a non-profit, think-tank, journalist, or human rights organization, are consistently targets of nation-state cyberattacks. Microsoft is committed to providing services and technology to help them protect themselves.

Democratic elections around the world remain a top target for cyberattacks and misinformation. We work closely with our customers to provide them with guidance and tools to protect themselves from these threats.

The next year may bring unprecedented challenges for the protection of elections as authoritarian nation-states seek to interfere in electoral processes. The Microsoft Threat Assessment Center (MTAC) publishes reports on this foreign malign influence.

Healthy democracies require healthy journalism. Technology has played a role in the disruption of news, but it can also be an important part of the rebuilding effort.

Today, information operations pose one of the most serious cyber threats and risks weakening the foundations of democracies worldwide. Technology and the Internet have played a part in the rise of this threat and should also be significant tools in combatting it.

Being an informed citizen is critical to participatory democracy; however, navigating the modern digital landscape for trusted news and information is complex. Finding, consuming, and sharing trusted information is an important skill, so more resources, tools, and educational efforts are required.

We will respect freedom of expression and uphold our customers’ ability to create, publish, and search for information via our platforms, products, and services.

We will prioritize surfacing content to counter foreign cyber influence operations by utilizing internal and trusted third-party data on our products.

We will not willfully profit from foreign cyber influence content or actors.

We will proactively work to prevent our platforms and products from being used to amplify foreign cyber influence sites and content.

Microsoft created an Employee Civic Engagement Hub that enables staff to learn, engage, and activate on Microsoft’s Corporate Social Responsibility priorities. Here, employees can get resources on how to vote, explore participating in the civic life of their communities, and find civic organizations to volunteer with or donate to.

Microsoft utilizes consumer-facing properties and products to promote civic engagement, voter registration, and civic education. Through services like Microsoft Start, Bing, LinkedIn, and Xbox, we make it easier for our users to register to vote and find authoritative voting information.

Civic literacy and civic engagement are critical to protecting democracy, and for our efforts to be effective, the whole business community must be involved. We partner with nonprofits and our peer companies to build effective coalitions and promote these important issues publicly.