Last Update: May 19, 2023, 04:33 AM IST
Elon Musk and Microsoft have had a bumpy relationship lately. Among other things, the owner of Twitter has been at loggerheads with Microsoft over ChatGPT creator OpenAI.
Last month, Microsoft told customers of its advertising platform that it would remove Twitter from the platform.
Twitter sent a letter to Microsoft Chief Executive Satya Nadella accusing the social media company of improperly using data, The New York Times (NYT) reported on Thursday.
Twitter has accused Microsoft of violating a data agreement and refusing to pay for its use, according to a letter reviewed by the NYT.
The letter alleges that Microsoft in some cases exceeded its authorized use of Twitter data and shared it with government agencies without permission.
Twitter on Thursday sent a letter to the chief executive of Microsoft, accusing the social media company of improperly using its data. In the letter, Twitter said Microsoft violated an agreement and refused to pay for data usage. https://t.co/XwDtFd2IlP– The New York Times (@nytimes) May 18, 2023
Twitter owner Elon Musk’s personal attorney Alex Spiro said in a letter to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella that the tech giant may have violated several provisions of the agreement for an extended period.
According to the US daily, the letter could potentially serve as a precursor to Twitter attempting to charge Microsoft for its data. Musk, who acquired Twitter last year for $44 billion, has stressed the urgency of generating revenue for the company even as it faces financial stress.
Twitter has introduced new subscription products and implemented strategies to increase its earnings, including raising fees for developers to gain access to their tweet streams.
Last month, Musk publicly accused Microsoft of “illegally” using Twitter’s data to train its artificial intelligence technologies, announcing “time to sue” Twitter.
He trained illegally using Twitter data. Trial time.- Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 19, 2023
Microsoft responded by saying that it does not currently pay Twitter for its data. Frank Shaw, a Microsoft spokesman, confirmed receipt of Twitter’s letter and expressed the company’s intention to review and respond to the inquiry while emphasizing its desire to maintain a long-term partnership with Twitter.
Earlier, Musk clashed with Microsoft over OpenAI, the start-up responsible for the ChatGPT chatbot.
Microsoft announced last month that it would not pay for access to Twitter’s data and informed its advertising platform customers about Twitter’s removal from the platform.
The company’s advertising platform is used by advertisers to manage their social media accounts, including Twitter.
The letter to Nadella did not explicitly state whether Twitter plans to take legal action against Microsoft or seek financial compensation.
However, it demands that Microsoft comply with Twitter’s developer agreement and conduct an examination of data usage across eight of its applications.
