The FTC’s Microsoft antitrust probe reportedly focuses on software development

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is reportedly investigating Microsoft like it’s 1998. In the waning days of the Biden presidency, the investigation into outgoing chair Lina Khan is reportedly gathering steam, according to ProPublica. The FTC is particularly concerned about Microsoft’s collection of information everywhere Office supplies and cybersecurity and cloud computing services. This includes an agreement to raise short-term government bonds, which led to the government using the cybersecurity crisis to sell more licenses.

Adds details to reports from Bloomberg and Financial Times in November about the FTC’s investigation into the Windows manufacturer. The publication said Microsoft’s competitors complained that its combination of popular software and cloud services made it difficult to compete. ProPublica it is said that FTC attorneys will soon negotiate and arrange meetings with Microsoft’s competitors.

Microsoft has confirmed that ProPublica that the FTC issued an investigative order (essentially a subpoena), forcing the company to provide information related to the case. A Microsoft spokesperson told the publication – without providing any recorded examples – that the FTC’s document “is broad, extensive, and asks for things that cannot be done to make sense.”

Research follows the opposite ProPublica report from November about how Microsoft appeared to be using 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 is said to have committed to upgrading its government suites (including Windows and the Office suite) to a more expensive version that adds to its advanced cybersecurity tools. Microsoft also sent consultants to install upgrades and train employees to use them.

Many parts of the US government agreed – including the Defense Department’s military – and then began to pay the high costs after the trial. (The problem with switching to another cybersecurity product after the lawsuit was over was almost certain to be.) ProPublica profile The account creates Microsoft if it is using the cybersecurity problem to increase sales and achieve its goals. Just the stuff of late capitalism, y’all.

Incidentally, the sales process came as a result of a lack of security from – you guessed it – Microsoft. Biden’s request from Big Tech leaders to strengthen government security after the SolarWinds attack used a Microsoft security vulnerability. The company says it knew the app contained “security vulnerabilities” that allowed hackers to impersonate authorized employees and search for confidential information without suspicion. But filing the wrongdoing could create a dispute over government entry when the company was competing for US contracts. Microsoft says it chose to stay mum rather than go out of business.

According to experts who spoke ProPublicathe government’s bidding process would violate antitrust and competition laws. The source said that even Microsoft’s lawyers are worried that the deal could cause problems.

If this sounds familiar, it is similar to the government 1998 antitrust case against Microsoft. Bundling was also the star of the show, with the FTC accusing the company of engaging in anti-competitive practices by bundling Internet Explorer with Windows, a move seen in the early days of the Internet as disruptive. competitors like Netscape.