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Microsoft

Flagged · Avoid

The world's largest software company, maker of Windows, Office, and Azure cloud — with a long history of anticompetitive behavior and recurring security failures.

Last updated May 4, 2026

Reasons to avoid

Issues span:AntitrustHuman RightsEnvironment
  1. 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.propublica.org2024-12-26
  2. 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.theregister.com2024-07-08
  3. 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.techradar.com2025-04-11

Ethical alternatives

Office & Productivity
LibreOffice
A full-featured, completely free alternative to Microsoft Office. Opens and saves Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files.
💻 Open Source📚 Free Resource
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OnlyOffice
Open-source office suite with strong Microsoft Office compatibility and real-time collaboration.
💻 Open Source
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Browser
Firefox
A fast, open-source browser from the non-profit Mozilla Foundation, built with privacy in mind.
💻 Open Source📊 Data Privacy
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Brave
A privacy-focused browser that blocks ads and trackers by default, with a built-in search engine.
💻 Open Source📊 Data Privacy
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Search
DuckDuckGo
A private search engine that doesn't track your searches or build a profile on you.
📊 Data Privacy
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Kagi
A paid, ad-free search engine with no tracking and no ads — your searches fund the product, not advertisers.
📊 Data Privacy
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Email
ProtonMail
End-to-end encrypted email based in Switzerland, with no ads and no scanning of your messages.
📊 Data Privacy💻 Open Source
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Fastmail
A privacy-respecting, ad-free email service that has never sold user data.
📊 Data Privacy
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Messaging & Collaboration
Signal
End-to-end encrypted messaging for personal use. No ads, no tracking, open-source.
📊 Data Privacy💻 Open Source📚 Free Resource
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Element
An open-source team chat built on the decentralized Matrix protocol — a privacy-respecting alternative to Microsoft Teams.
📊 Data Privacy💻 Open Source
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Code Hosting
GitLab
A fully open-source alternative to GitHub, with built-in CI/CD. You can self-host it entirely.
💻 Open Source
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Codeberg
A non-profit, community-owned code hosting platform based in Berlin. No ads, no VC money.
💻 Open Source📊 Data Privacy
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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 →