Xorte logo

News Markets Groups

USA | Europe | Asia | World| Stocks | Commodities



Add a new RSS channel

 
 


Keywords

2024-12-27 20:35:45| Engadget

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is reportedly investigating Microsoft like its 1998. In the waning days of the Biden administration, outgoing chair Lina Khans probe is said to be picking up steam, according to ProPublica. The FTC is particularly concerned with Microsofts bundling of ubiquitous Office products with cybersecurity and cloud computing services. That includes a deal to upgrade government bundles for a limited time, which essentially had the effect of using a government cybersecurity crisis to sell more licenses. It adds more detail to reports from Bloomberg and the Financial Times in November about an FTC probe into the Windows maker. The publications said Microsofts competitors complained that its bundling of its popular software with cloud services made it harder to compete. ProPublica says FTC attorneys have recently interviewed and scheduled meetings with Microsofts competitors. Microsoft confirmed to ProPublica that the FTC issued a civil investigative demand (essentially a subpoena), forcing the company to hand over information related to the case. A Microsoft spokesperson told the publication without providing on-the-record examples that the FTC document is broad, wide ranging, and requests things that are out of the realm of possibility to even be logical. The investigation follows a separate ProPublica report from November about how Microsoft appeared to exploit a series of cyberattacks to sell more licenses to the US government. Following a meeting with President Biden in the summer of 2021, the company was said to have offered to upgrade the governments existing bundles (including Windows and its Office suite) to a more expensive version that added its advanced cybersecurity products. Microsoft also sent consultants to install the upgrades and train employees to use them. Many divisions of the US government accepted including all of the Defense Departments military services and then began paying for the more expensive bundles after the trial ended. (The hassle of switching to a different cybersecurity product after the trial ended practically guaranteed that would be the case.) ProPublicas account essentially paints Microsoft as exploiting a cybersecurity crisis to expand sales and pad its bottom line. Just late-stage capitalism things, yall. Microsoft Ironically, the sales tactic resulted from security lapses from you guessed it Microsoft. Bidens request from Big Tech leaders to boost government cybersecurity followed the SolarWinds attack that exploited a vulnerability in a Microsoft identity service. The company reportedly knew the app contained a security nightmare that let hackers spoof legitimate employees and probe sensitive information without raising suspicion. But patching the flaw would add friction to government logins when the company was competing for US contracts. Microsoft reportedly opted to stay mum instead of risk losing business. According to experts who spoke to ProPublica, the government trial sales scheme could have violated regulations on contracting and competition. The publication reported that even Microsofts attorneys worried the deal would spark antitrust concerns. If this sounds familiar, it echoes the governments 1998 antitrust lawsuit against Microsoft. Bundling was also a star of that show, with the FTC accusing the company of engaging in anticompetitive practices by including Internet Explorer with Windows, a move viewed in those early days of the internet as stifling rivals like Netscape.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/the-ftcs-microsoft-antitrust-probe-reportedly-focuses-on-software-bundling-193545163.html?src=rss


Category: Marketing and Advertising

 

Latest from this category

10.07Faroe Islands tackle overtourism with mystery road trips
09.07Tin Can brings back the landline to keep kids connected, not hooked
09.07What Influencers Want From Brand Partners
09.07Powering Agile Transformation: Why Marketing Is the Hidden Accelerator
08.07How CMOs Are Approaching Generative AI
08.07Six Social Media Tips for Introverts [Infographic]
08.07What's Ahead for AI and ABM: Evolving From Tools to Orchestration
08.07Japanese hotel chain introduces 'stay first, interview later' recruitment model
Marketing and Advertising »

All news

10.07Asian currencies gain as dollar weakens, but rupee lags on domestic headwinds
10.07AIFs seek higher cap on inflows from banks, NBFCs
10.07Investors turn cautious on unlisted companies after HDB offer pricing shock
10.07Equity MFs see surge in inflows to Rs 23,587 crore in June
10.07Adani Enterprises' Rs 500-crore NCD issue oversubscribed 3x
10.07State Farm to raise Illinois homeowners insurance rates by 27.2% in August
10.07Holidays to Spain, Cyprus and Turkey soar in price
10.07Package holidays to Spain, Cyprus and Turkey soar in price
More »
Privacy policy . Copyright . Contact form .