Twitter is at loggerheads with Microsoft: Here's why
Elon Musk threatened to sue Microsoft last month. If you thought the Twitter CEO's words were a hollow threat, you are in for a surprise. Musk's personal lawyer Alex Spiro just sent a letter to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, accusing the Redmond-based tech giant of violating Twitter's developer agreement. Let's see what prompted this reaction from Twitter.
Why does this story matter?
It is a known fact that Musk is not a fan of Microsoft. The latter's partnership with OpenAI, a company Musk helped co-found, may have something to do with that. The Twitter owner has taken his dislike of Microsoft up a notch with the letter to Nadella. And unsurprisingly, the letter has some connection to Microsoft's relationship with OpenAI.
Microsoft pulled support for Twitter API apps
The Twitter-Microsoft tussle has its roots in the microblogging platform revamping its API tiers. Companies like Microsoft may have to pay as much as $42,000 per month for API access. According to Spiro's letter, Microsoft had "eight separate Twitter API apps." The tech giant, however, started pulling support for these apps in April owing to Twitter's new API norms.
Twitter accuses Microsoft of using API for 'unauthorized uses'
Twitter has accused Microsoft of using the API for "unauthorized uses and purposes" for "an extended period of time." The social media company says Microsoft did not inform it of "any use case for six of the eight Microsoft Apps that it continued to operate until last month." What are these "unauthorized uses and purposes" Twitter is talking about?
How did Microsoft allegedly violate the developer agreement?
Spiro's letter says Microsoft violated the rate limits on the use of Twitter API. It also says the company exceeded the "reasonable request volume" of the API. The letter enumerates some of the unauthorized use cases, including using Twitter content on behalf of "any government-related entity" and using API in applications that "include automation capabilities" without informing Twitter.
Letter is silent on Musk's accusation
The letter does not make any reference to what Musk said last month. The billionaire accused Microsoft of using Twitter data for training large language models used in chatbots like OpenAI's ChatGPT and Microsoft's Bing. "They trained illegally using Twitter data. Lawsuit time," he said in a tweet. The letter is also silent on any pending legal action.
Twitter is seeking 'compliance audit' of 8 apps
What Spiro is seeking on behalf of Twitter is a "compliance audit" of each of the eight apps till April 2023. It demands various records from Microsoft for the past two years. The letter reminds Microsoft of the requirement of "full cooperation and assistance" as per the developer agreement. Twitter has given a deadline of June 7, 2023.
Microsoft will review the letter and respond appropriately
"Today we heard from a law firm representing Twitter with some questions about our previous use of the free Twitter API. We will review these questions and respond appropriately. We look forward to continuing our long-term partnership with the company," a Microsoft spokesperson said.
