IP: MS denies faked posts

[Dave Farber <farber@cis.upenn.edu>]

<http://www.wired.com/news/news/business/story/17745.html>http://www.wired.
com/news/news/business/story/17745.html

Is MS Preening in Public Posts?
By Heidi Kriz, Wired News
4:40 p.m.  4.Feb.99.PST

A Microsoft spokeswoman denied allegations Thursday afternoon that the company
is encouraging its employees to lie in public forums. 

A message posted to a discussion forum on computer-trade site ZDNet and
purporting to be from a former employee, accuses the company of urging
employees to post fake comments supporting the company's side in the ongoing
Microsoft antitrust trial.

The author of the email, posted on ZDNet in a Talkback forum on the Microsoft
antitrust trial, claimed her name was Michelle Bradley and that she had
"retired" from Microsoft last week. 

......

"Microsoft has never had an employee by the name of Michelle Bradley," said
Heidi Rothhauser of Waggner Edstrom, Microsoft's PR firm. 

.....

A search for "Michelle Bradley" in a publicly accessible database turned up an
individual with that name living less than 10 miles from Microsoft
headquarters
in Redmond. Phone calls to the listed number were not returned. ZDNet
operations specialist Drew Ulrickson said the email address for the posting
was
listed as mibradley@msn.com, but he said such an address can easily be faked

..more.....

James Glave, News Editor, Wired News http://www.wired.com  +1 (415) 276-8430