Posts misrepresent Microsoft CEO interview remarks as 'plot to disable computers'

"Microsoft has announced plans to disable the computers of people who share 'non-mainstream' content online, in an attempt to combat so-called 'misinformation' in the run-up to the 2024 election," read part of a Facebook post shared on February 4.

The post links to an article that makes a similar claim, which was published by The People's Voice website.

The website has previously published misinformation debunked by AFP, including false claims Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates said people who refuse Covid-19 mRNA vaccines will be excluded from society.

The People's Voice article refers to and embeds an NBC News interview in which Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella is asked how artificial intelligence (AI) might impact  November's US presidential election.

The article says, "Nadella's response seemed to imply a willingness to use technology for censoring content in pursuit of fighting what he identified as disinformation".

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Screenshot of the false Facebook post, captured on March 22, 2024

Similar claims were shared over 1,600 times in posts on social media platform X and on Facebook by users from Australia and New Zealand.

Comments on the posts suggested some users were misled.

"Silencing will only worsen as November approaches," read one comment.

Another said: "This is THE NEW WORLD ORDER - COMPLETE CONTROL."

But the posts have misrepresented the Microsoft CEO's interview.

'No plans to disable computers'

A Microsoft spokesperson told AFP on March 21 that "there are no plans to disable any computers for users as described in these claims".

A review of Nadella's interview with NBC News -- which was posted on YouTube and in two parts on the NBC News website here and here -- also found he had not mentioned any plans to "disable" computers (archived links here, here and here).

During the interview, Nadella is asked about worries related to AI and the potential for it to be weaponised ahead of the US election.

Nadella responded: "This is not the first election where we dealt with disinformation or propaganda campaigns by adversaries and election interference."

"We are doing all the work across the tech industry around watermarking, detecting deep fakes and content IDs. There's going to be enough and more technology quite frankly in order to be able to identify the issues around disinformation and misinformation," he said.

Microsoft was among 20 tech companies that agreed to eight specific commitments to detect and counter harmful AI content -- these included developing tools to mitigate deceptive AI, providing transparency to the public and engaging with global civil society groups (archived link).

There was no mention of a plan to "disable" computers to combat misinformation.

Marian-Andrei Rizoiu, an associate professor of data science at the University of Technology Sydney, told AFP that Microsoft's Digital Safety guidelines make no mention of disabling users' computers (archived links here and here).

"The guidelines [are] about what is not allowed to be done with their products, and they follow quite closely what is deemed as 'illegal content' in the EU's Digital Services Act: bullying and harassment, child sexual exploitation and abuse, deceptive generative AI election content,  exposure of personal information," he said on March 30 (archived link).

Microsoft's guidelines state the company could suspend users' accounts, limit access to features or services or remove content if the users distribute content that violates Microsoft's policies (archived links here and here).