Microsoft is suspending its subscription to a disinformation tracking group's secret blacklist of conservative media outlets and launching an internal review following multiple Washington Examiner reports.
The Microsoft-owned Xandr, an advertising company, has abided by a blacklist of conservative websites secretly compiled by the Global Disinformation Index, an organization that intends to "defund" and shut down disfavored speech. In the wake of the Washington Examiner's reporting, Microsoft has launched a review of its relationship with GDI and has suspended usage of the group's services.
"We try to take a principled approach to accuracy and fighting foreign propaganda," a spokesperson said on Saturday evening. "We’re working quickly to fix the issue and Xandr has stopped using GDI’s services while we are doing a larger review."
Xandr subscribed prior to GDI's exclusion list, which is said to include at least 2,000 websites, according to public documents. Microsoft's backpedaling comes after the Washington Examiner revealed on Friday how Xandr has blocked conservative websites from receiving key ad dollars and labeled them as "false/misleading," "hate speech," or "reprehensible/offensive."
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