Earlier this week, Microsoft released its fourth annual Digital Defense Report, which looks at trends in cyberattacks and defenses from July 2022 through June 2023. The data shows a rise in several types of attacks—and a growing number of targets—with an increase in espionage activity conducted by nation-states. Microsoft Corporate Vice President of Customer Security and […]

Last week, a diverse group of business organizations, labor unions, economists, venture capital firms, and former government officials filed nine “friend of the court” briefs in support of Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of video game company Activision Blizzard. The briefs are significant because they demonstrate broad-based support not just for a single business transaction but also

We have breaking news in Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard transaction: Earlier today, in a preliminary statement, U.K. regulators at the Competition and Markets Authority said that Microsoft’s revised plan to purchase video game company Activision Blizzard largely satisfies earlier objections to the transaction. A final decision from the CMA is expected within weeks. Microsoft says it

This week in Washington, the Senate focused on AI legislation, advancing a legislative framework for AI, holding a key hearing, and hosting a closed-door forum with tech sector leaders. Microsoft President Brad Smith testified at the hearing, voicing support for the proposed Blumenthal-Hawley framework for AI legislation. Smith endorsed the idea of creating a federal licensing

Welcome back from what we hope was a restorative Labor Day long weekend. Congress is back to work, and we’ll continue to keep you informed as they and state lawmakers consider legislation that may impact technology companies, business customers, and consumers. We’re pleased to announce that Voices for Innovation will be participating in the Microsoft

Dear Executive Briefing Subscribers—  We hope you’re enjoying your last weeks of summer. Shortly after Labor Day, Congress returns to work—and we expect lawmakers will consider several tech issues during the fall, including AI. We’ll keep you informed as discussions progress. The Executive Briefing will be taking next week off in advance of the holiday

Earlier this month, as part of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Senior Officials’ and Ministerial Meetings taking place in Seattle, Microsoft hosted a discussion on decarbonization of the power sector. As a Microsoft on the Issues blog explains, making continued progress on reducing carbon emissions will take a combination of innovation, infrastructure expansion, and sensible public policies. The

Members of Congress are on their August recess. While lawmakers will enjoy a little downtime, many will also be touring their states or districts, holding town hall meetings, and listening to voters. We encourage VFI members to engage in the democratic process by attending local events with your officials, listening to their priorities, and sharing

In 2019, Microsoft announced the development of an open source end-to-end verifiable election (E2E-V) solution, ElectionGuard. E2E-V enables independent verification of election results while protecting ballot secrecy. Since that time, ElectionGuard and the E2E-V concept have been piloted successfully in local elections. Last week, to advance the deployment of ElectionGuard—and to strengthen and protect democracy—the

At a White House event, Microsoft and six other AI leaders made voluntary commitments developed by the Biden-Harris Administration to advance safe, secure, and trustworthy AI. This is an important step on the road to unlocking the promise of AI while addressing the risks of this emerging technology. Congress is expected to focus on developing