- Microsoft found out about a new FTC investigation the same way the rest of us did
- The company is still awaiting formal legal action from the Commission.
- Redmond asks FTC to investigate itself
Microsoft has expressed frustration over a recently revealed FTC investigation because it was never actually informed about the investigation – the tech giant only learned of the FTC's plans after reading the news.
As a result, Redmond Deputy General Counsel Rima Alaily has asked the FTC's Inspector General to “investigate whether FTC leadership improperly leaked confidential information about a potential antitrust investigation last week in violation of ethics and of agency practice.
The letter, shared publicly on Alaily's LinkedIn, maintains that the company only learned of the investigation through BloombergThe coverage of.
Microsoft asks FTC to investigate… itself?
The letter alleges that the FTC has “opened an antitrust investigation” spanning “cloud computing and software licensing packages to cybersecurity offerings and artificial intelligence products,” however it is still unclear where this information comes from.
Alaily argues: “Ironically, almost a week after informing the press about a request for information sent to Microsoft, we still cannot even obtain a copy of this document from the FTC.”
Aside from the most recent data leak, Microsoft blames the FTC for what the Commission itself calls a “constantly increasing” number of unauthorized disclosures, something that members of the US Senate and House of Representatives have also noted.
Clearly unhappy with how he found out about the FTC's information demand “like the rest of the world” – via Bloomberg story – Microsoft claims it has not yet received any formal legal process.
The letter concludes: “While this leak is an unfortunate development for Microsoft, it is more problematic for the integrity of the FTC's processes.”
The Deputy General Counsel has also urged the FTC to publicly share the results of its investigation and take responsibility for any leaks.
TechRadar Pro has asked the FTC for comment, but we have not received an immediate response.
