Microsoft believes that people deserve a healthy information ecosystem and acknowledges that the current information environment is lacking the tools, indicators, and curriculum necessary to ensure a trustworthy information experience.
Microsoft approaches this challenge led by its information integrity principles, which establish a foundational set of commitments that Microsoft product teams can use to inform their policy, product development and risk assessment work. The four information integrity principles are:
- Freedom of Expression: We will respect freedom of expression and uphold our customersβ ability to create, publish, and search for information via our platforms, products, and services.
- Authoritative Content: We will prioritize surfacing content to counter foreign cyber influence operations by utilizing internal and trusted third-party data on our products
- Demonetization: We will not willfully profit from foreign cyber influence content or actors.
- Proactive efforts: We will proactively work to prevent our platforms and products from being used to amplify foreign cyber influence sites and content.
Additionally, Microsoft has partnered with NewsGuard to empower the product teams to take additional actions to promote more authoritative information and inform consumers if they are engaging with less reputable sources. Specifically, NewsGuard enables people to learn more about an online news source before consuming its content. NewsGuard operates a team of experienced journalists who rate online news websites on the basis of nine journalistic integrity criteria, which they use to create both a βnutrition labelβ for each rated news website. It is for users of the Microsoft Edge browser.
Microsoft has also been a leader in content provenance and authenticity β using technical safeguards to counter and help prevent and detect malicious manipulation of media (such as doctored video/audio, manipulated or out-of-context images, and deepfakes). Microsoft was a founding member of the Coalition for , along with Adobe, Arm, ΒιΆΉΙη, Intel, Sony, and TruePic. C2PA addresses the growing risk of the use of malicious AI to create manipulated media through the development of technical standards for certifying the source and history, or provenance, of media content.
Microsoft recognizes that these influence operations erode trust in the information we rely on, and the local news outlets we once turned to are increasingly disappearing. Microsoft is dedicated to supporting a healthy information ecosystem where trusted news and information thrive. In March 2023, Microsoft, USAID, and Internews the (MVA), a web-based platform aimed at helping independent media organizations worldwide become more financially sustainable.
Once launched, the MVA will be available to independent news organizations in over 100 countries. Microsoft is contributing its expertise in AI-powered data aggregation, data analysis, visualization dashboards, and Azure cloud services to support the initiative.
Most recently, on World Press Freedom Day, Microsoft announced its , a set of tools from across Microsoft and partners that can help rebuild capacity in local news ecosystems, restore trust in news, and reduce risks.