The Not-So-Pretty Side of Big Tech

Most of us grow up thinking that the things we buy and store online are ours. Games, apps, files, even the email addresses tied to our names. But big tech companies like Microsoft remind us that nothing in their ecosystem really belongs to us.

Recently, Microsoft suspended my Outlook account. They claimed that my OneDrive contained “child porn.” 

Let me be clear: I download adult videos from the open web. I am not a pedophile. Yet Microsoft’s algorithms, terms of service, and opaque enforcement systems flagged my content as illegal, locked me out of my account, and informed me that I cannot appeal for six months.

When you use Microsoft services, you’re not really buying a product; you’re renting access. Their terms give them permission to scan files on your computer, in your cloud storage, and across your account. The moment something doesn’t fit their rules, they can revoke everything: your email, your purchased games, even the apps you’ve paid for.

Microsoft’s policy is blunt: by uploading or syncing files, you grant them the right to scan, analyse, and act. What this means in practice is that you’re never really in control. Every file you save could be scrutinised. Every purchase can be revoked.

For users, the implications are chilling. Your personal storage is not private. Your identity and credibility can be destroyed without due process, and your access to purchased content is always conditional, never permanent.

What This Reveals About Big Tech

This is not about one account. It’s about a system where corporations act as judge, jury, and executioner. It’s about power.

Big tech giants like Microsoft, Google, and Apple built empires by convincing us to store everything in their ecosystems. Convenience became control. And once we’re locked in, they hold the keys, not us.