Twitter has sent a letter to Microsoft accusing the latter of using the Twitter API for an extended period of time. Microsoft is said to have misused the data obtained, among other things.
The message was sent on behalf of Twitter by Alex Spiro, Elon Musk’s personal lawyer. The letter in the New York Times In her own words, a Microsoft spokesman confirmed to the newspaper when asked that the company has received the letter. Among other things, Twitter accuses Microsoft of using more data than permitted and that the company then shared that data with government authorities without notifying the social media platform.
Until recently, Microsoft could run eight “Twitter APIs” for a total of five products and services, including Ads, Bing, and Xbox. In April, Microsoft pulled Twitter integration from its advertising tool and Xbox consoles. Because of the latter, screenshots and gameplay fragments can no longer be uploaded from the Xbox console to Twitter. No official reason was given for this, but it has been suspected that this relates to companies having to pay for access to the API since the end of March.
Twitter claims that for six of the eight apps, Microsoft did not disclose which apps the company has for the API. This is while, as per the agreement, Twitter had to first grant approval for each intended request. That’s why Spiro wants Microsoft to reveal before June 7 how much Twitter data it owns and how it’s stored and used in each of its eight use cases.
It does not say what will happen if Microsoft refuses, but the letter does mention that the two companies have agreed in the agreement that Microsoft will “cooperate fully” with these compliance checks. There was also no mention of any legal action or a claim for financial compensation.
A Microsoft spokesperson tells various sources, Including The VergeThat the company review the questions and provide an “appropriate” answer. “We look forward to continuing our long-term partnership with the company.” Microsoft also confirms that they are not currently paying for the API.