Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and Twitter, has threatened to sue Microsoft over allegations that the company used Twitter data without permission. Musk did not provide any further details or evidence to support his claim. Microsoft declined to comment on the situation. In a separate tweet, Musk expressed his openness to ideas about Twitter’s data, but criticized the idea of “ripping off the Twitter database, demonetizing it (removing ads) and then selling our data to others.”
Microsoft recently announced that its advertising platform will no longer support Twitter starting from April 25th. As a result, ad buyers will not be able to access their Twitter accounts through Microsoft’s social management tool. Other social media channels such as Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn will continue to be available.
Since Musk took over Twitter, he has cut the company’s workforce by around 80% and moved to boost the company’s finances through measures, including charging users for “blue tick” verification. In recent months, major companies such as Apple reportedly halted advertising on the platform over concerns about how content was moderated on the site. Musk has said that almost all advertisers have come back or said they are going to come back to Twitter and that it could be profitable by the second quarter of 2023.
While it is unclear how Musk plans to proceed with his threats to sue Microsoft, it is another example of the tensions between tech giants. With increasing attention on data privacy and usage, companies will need to tread carefully in how they interact with one another’s platforms to avoid any legal repercussions.
Source:BBC
