Microsoft faces FTC investigation for reeling in federal contracts with fre

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Credit: Kris Carlon / Android Authority

• The Federal Trade Commission is looking into whether Microsoft’s bundling practices have broken antitrust rules.
• Investigators allege Microsoft lured federal agencies with free software only to lock them into paid services later.
• Microsoft denies any wrongdoing, saying its free upgrades were solely meant to strengthen government cybersecurity.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has initiated an investigation into Microsoft, probing potential antitrust violations within the company’s business practices. This action follows a report by ProPublica*that detailed how Microsoft may have leveraged its market dominance to gain an unfair advantage in government contracts. (via Bloomberg)

The investigation centers on Microsoft’s strategy of bundling popular software like Office with cybersecurity and cloud computing services. The ProPublica report alleges that Microsoft temporarily offered these bundled services to government agencies free of charge following a series of high-profile cyberattacks. However, upon the conclusion of this free trial period, government agencies often found themselves locked into these services, becoming dependent on Microsoft’s offerings.




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