A lawyer representing Twitter owner Elon Musk has accused Microsoft of misusing the social media platform’s data. The company has demanded an audit from the software giant.
The allegations primarily focus on Microsoft’s alleged infractions in accessing information from Twitter’s database of tweets. However, this move may indicate more serious concerns.
Previously, Musk accused Microsoft and its partner OpenAI of using Twitter data “illegally” to develop advanced AI systems like ChatGPT.
In an April tweet, Musk said, “Lawsuit time,” alluding to these claims. However, this particular charge was not specifically addressed in the most recent letter from Musk’s attorney, Alex Spiro.
Instead, it drew attention to Microsoft’s contract with Twitter, which forbids abusive or inappropriate use of the data provided by the service, including going over “reasonable request volume.” Without providing any additional background, Spiro noted that Microsoft has viewed more than 26 billion tweets in 2022 alone, despite these restrictions.
In the letter, a number of ambiguously phrased charges were presented, including the claim that six out of eight Microsoft apps that took data from Twitter’s database were not disclosed to Twitter by Microsoft as to their intended use of the data.
Additionally, it asserted that at least one Microsoft app had exchanged Twitter data with virtual locations that made reference to governmental bodies, which was against Twitter’s and Microsoft’s terms of service. According to the letter, Microsoft failed to inform Twitter that it was retrieving data on behalf of a government agency.
In response, Microsoft spokesman Frank Shaw stated that the company would review the concerns raised in the letter and respond appropriately. He emphasised the long-term partnership between Microsoft and Twitter but did not address the specific allegations mentioned in the letter.
In Spiro’s letter, Microsoft was compelled to provide specific information about the Twitter data it now retains or has already erased. It also asked for clarification on the reason behind each Microsoft software that used information from Twitter, if any government agencies used these apps to access Twitter’s database, and whether Microsoft informed Twitter about such usage.