CoinVoice has recently learned, according to Jin Shi reports, that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has launched an antitrust investigation into Microsoft (MSFT.O), covering the company's cloud computing and software licensing business as well as its cybersecurity and artificial intelligence products. After more than a year of informal interviews with Microsoft's competitors and business partners, law enforcement officials have drafted a lengthy request, demanding that Microsoft provide related information.
FTC antitrust lawyers will meet with Microsoft's competitors next week to gather more information. One focus of the ongoing investigation is Microsoft's bundling of its popular office productivity and security software with cloud products. Following a series of cybersecurity incidents involving Microsoft products, the FTC has intensified its scrutiny of Microsoft's cloud computing business.
Microsoft's missteps in cybersecurity, combined with its status as a government contractor, have raised concerns about its market influence according to the FTC. Part of the investigation focuses on Microsoft's practices related to the security software Microsoft Entra ID (formerly known as Azure Active Directory), which helps verify user logins for cloud-based software. [Original link]