Twitter has accused Microsoft of violating its rules for developers who access the social network’s data, according to a letter seen by AFP. The letter, signed by attorney Alex Spiro on behalf of Twitter, was sent to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, stating that Microsoft may have been in violation of multiple provisions of their agreement for an extended period of time.
According to the letter, Microsoft stopped accessing Twitter data in April after refusing to pay fees demanded by Twitter for accessing its APIs. Twitter has called on Microsoft to disclose all Twitter content that has been in its control over the past two years, along with details on how it is stored and what has been done with it.
Microsoft confirmed receiving the letter and stated that it would review the questions and respond appropriately. The company expressed its intention to continue its long-term partnership with Twitter.
Twitter is also investigating whether Microsoft exceeded the “reasonable request volume” and engaged in “abusive usage.” The social media platform has requested the information from Microsoft by June 7.
The demand for data disclosure comes as Elon Musk, who took over Twitter in late October, seeks to generate revenue by charging developers for accessing the Twitter platform, which was previously free. Musk has been involved in several controversies since his tenure at Twitter began, including firing staff, suspending journalists, and reintroducing far-right figures to the platform.
In a recent tweet, Musk accused Microsoft of illegally using Twitter data to train artificial intelligence and hinted at a potential lawsuit. This development adds to the ongoing competition between Musk’s AI company, X.AI, and tech giants like Microsoft and Google.
As the situation unfolds, both Twitter and Microsoft will need to address the allegations and work towards resolving any violations or misunderstandings of their developer agreement.
