Microsoft
Flagged · AvoidThe world's largest software company and maker of Windows, Office, and Azure cloud, with a long history of anticompetitive behavior and recurring security failures.
Last updated May 7, 2026
↓ Skip to 13 ethical alternativesReasons to avoid
Issues span:AntitrustConsumerPrivacy
- The FTC launched a sweeping antitrust investigation into Microsoft in late 2024, examining how it bundles Office, cloud, and cybersecurity products to lock competitors out of federal contracts — a pattern federal prosecutors say echoes the monopoly case that nearly broke the company up in the 1990s.
- Open-source developers filed a class-action lawsuit alleging that GitHub Copilot — Microsoft's AI coding assistant — was trained on billions of lines of their code without complying with open-source license requirements. Estimated DMCA damages could exceed $9 billion.
- Microsoft's Windows Recall feature takes a screenshot of everything on your screen every few seconds and stores it in a searchable database. Security researchers built a tool that could extract the entire database in minutes. Microsoft pulled the feature in 2024 after public backlash, re-released it in 2025, and security flaws have continued to surface.
Ethical alternatives
Office & Productivity
Browser
Search
Email
Messaging & Collaboration
Signal
End-to-end encrypted messaging for personal use. No ads, no tracking, open-source.
📊 Data Privacy💻 Open Source📚 Free Resource
Visit →
Element
An open-source team chat built on the decentralized Matrix protocol — a privacy-respecting alternative to Microsoft Teams.
📊 Data Privacy💻 Open Source
Visit →Code Hosting
Operating System
Linux Mint
The most Windows-like Linux distribution — the easiest switch for everyday users who want to leave Windows behind.
💻 Open Source📚 Free Resource
Visit →Common Questions
- Is Microsoft ethical?
- The FTC launched a sweeping antitrust investigation into Microsoft in late 2024 for bundling Office, cloud, and cybersecurity products to lock competitors out of federal contracts. Microsoft's Windows Recall feature takes a screenshot of everything on your screen every few seconds — security researchers built a tool to extract the entire database in minutes, and Microsoft has continued to push the feature despite ongoing security concerns.
- Why should I avoid Microsoft?
- Open-source developers filed a class action alleging GitHub Copilot was trained on their code without complying with open-source license requirements, with estimated DMCA damages potentially exceeding $9 billion. Microsoft's pattern of bundling products to exclude competitors echoes the monopoly case that nearly broke the company up in the 1990s.
- What are the best ethical alternatives to Microsoft?
- LibreOffice is a free, full-featured open-source alternative to Microsoft Office. Firefox and Brave are privacy-focused browser alternatives to Edge. ProtonMail provides encrypted email that replaces Outlook, and Signal replaces Teams for secure messaging.