Microsoft has found itself under fire from Twitter, with the social media giant alleging that Microsoft breached developer rules regarding data access on Twitter’s platform, according to a letter cited by AFP.
This strongly worded letter, signed by Alex Spiro, the attorney representing former Twitter CEO Elon Musk, was addressed to Microsoft’s CEO, Satya Nadella. The document claims that "Microsoft may have been in violation of multiple provisions of the Agreement for an extended period of time."
Furthermore, the letter highlights Microsoft's decision to cease accessing Twitter data in April, instead opting not to pay the fees that Musk demanded developers fork out for APIs (application programming interfaces) interacting with the platform.
The letter also made a stern request to Microsoft to reveal all Twitter content in its control for the past two years, including how it has been stored and used.
Upon receipt of the letter from a law firm representing Twitter, Microsoft pledged to review the raised concerns. "We will review these questions and respond appropriately," affirmed a spokesperson for Microsoft to AFP.
Twitter, in its letter, is probing whether Microsoft exceeded a "reasonable request volume", which could be construed as "abusive usage". Twitter demanded a response by June 7.
This development comes amidst Musk's plans to monetize Twitter's access by charging developers, a move initiated before Musk's $44 billion takeover of Twitter last year.
Besides this, Musk is also making strides in the artificial intelligence (AI) arena, looking to rival Microsoft and Google with his recently established X.AI corporation based in Nevada, US.
Earlier in April, Musk took to Twitter to accuse Microsoft of illegally using Twitter data to train its AI, signaling "lawsuit time."
Major tech giants like Google, Meta, and Microsoft have been investing heavily in AI systems for tasks like translations, search functions, and targeted advertising. Notably, Microsoft has pumped significant resources into OpenAI, the creator of human-like chatbot technology ChatGPT, which is now being utilized in Microsoft's Bing web browser.
Musk's tenure at Twitter has been marked by a number of controversial moves, including employee layoffs, readmission of far-right figures to the platform, suspension of journalists, and introducing charges for previously free services.
