The Secret War Against Open Source: Microsoft Blocks Developer Account Under the Guise of a “Technical Glitch”
LibreOffice contributor's account blocked — with no option to appeal.
LibreOffice contributor's account blocked — with no option to appeal.
Microsoft is once again at the center of controversy, this time due to the suspension of an account belonging to a LibreOffice developer. Mike Kaganski, an active contributor to the open-source alternative to Microsoft Office, reported that his account was unexpectedly blocked when he attempted to send a routine technical email to a LibreOffice internal mailing list. Thunderbird returned an error, and on retry, Kaganski found himself completely locked out of his Microsoft account.
He speculated that the message may have triggered automatic filtering, although it contained nothing that violated the service's terms. Attempts to appeal through Microsoft’s automated system led nowhere. Microsoft demanded a phone number for verification but, after submission, returned a vague message suggesting he “try another method” — without offering any alternative. Trying to contact support proved futile as well: the system required logging into the blocked account in order to report the login issue.
In the end, Kaganski had to use his wife’s account just to file an appeal. He eventually received a reply, but instead of resolving the problem, Microsoft simply sent back a generic troubleshooting guide he had already tried, and later closed the support ticket without explanation or restoring access.
The email that allegedly caused the issue went through without problems via Gmail, and Kaganski publicly invited others to judge for themselves whether it violated any Microsoft rules.
According to him, similar cases are not isolated. In June, a Reddit user under the nickname u/deus03690 shared how Microsoft locked his account containing 30 years of photos and work materials. Despite submitting an appeal, he received a response only 10 days later, and since then — total silence.
Kaganski’s story and others like it have intensified criticism of Microsoft, a company previously accused of deliberately complicating document formats to hinder the use of alternative office suites. Now, alongside technical opacity, Microsoft faces renewed questions about its accountability and treatment of users.
