AI fight! Twitter says Microsoft broke its rules for developers | Tech News

AI fight! Twitter says Microsoft broke its rules for developers

Twitter on Thursday accused Microsoft of breaking the social network's rules for developers who access the platform's data, according to a copy of a letter seen by AFP.

By:AFP
| Updated on: May 19 2023, 09:05 IST
In Pics: Your Twitter has been changed forever by Elon Musk
Twitter
1/7 Twitter top officials fired: As soon as Musk took over Twitter, he fired the top executives including CEO Parag Agrawal, CFO Ned Segal, legal affairs and policy chief Vijaya Gadde. That was the first decision taken by Musk at Twitter. On Friday, Twitter also laid off 50 percent of its employees and Musk defended the step by saying that this is being done in an effort to place Twitter on a profitable path. (AFP)
Twitter
2/7 Charges for Blue Tick: Twitter users who want a verified account will now have to pay charges for the same as Twitter will now charge $8 for Blue Tick. Musk supported the decision by posting a number of tweets regarding the same. He believes the subscription fee will give Twitter 'a revenue stream to reward content creators' while the company will not have to depend on advertisers. (REUTERS)
Twitter
3/7 Twitter Content Moderation Council: Twitter will set up a content moderation council with widely diverse viewpoints. The council will be accountable for all main content-related decisions. (AFP)
Twitter
4/7 Advertisers: General Motors, General Mills, Audi of America, Oreo maker Mondelez International, Pfizer Inc and Ford are some of the corporate companies who have distanced themselves from Twitter. Several advertisers have suspended ad spending on Twitter altogether. (REUTERS)
Twitter
5/7 Changes to Twitter's homepage: Musk requested that users who have logged out of Twitter and visit the homepage of Twitter's site to be redirected to the Explore page which shows trending tweets and news stories, according to a report by Verge. (REUTERS)
Twitter
6/7 Vine: Musk put up a poll on Twitter asking people if he should bring back Vine. (AP)
Twitter
7/7 Removal of Days of Rest: Days of Rest has been removed from the calendars of the Twitter employees. It can be known that the Days of Rest refers to the monthly days off to let employees rest and recharge. (AP)
Twitter
icon View all Images
Twitter says Microsoft broke its rules for developers. (AP)

Twitter on Thursday accused Microsoft of breaking the social network's rules for developers who access the platform's data, according to a copy of a letter seen by AFP.

"Microsoft may have been in violation of multiple provisions of the Agreement for an extended period of time," read the letter signed by Musk attorney Alex Spiro and sent to Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella.

Microsoft stopped accessing Twitter data in April, opting not to pay fees Musk demanded developers pay for APIs (application programming interfaces) that engage with the platform, according to the letter.

Twitter called on Microsoft to identify all Twitter content that has been in its control during the past two years; how it is stored and what has been done with it, according to the letter sent to Nadella.

Microsoft confirmed receiving a letter from a law firm representing Twitter with some questions about its previous use of the free Twitter API.

"We will review these questions and respond appropriately," a Microsoft spokesperson said in response to an AFP inquiry.

"We look forward to continuing our long term partnership with the company."

Twitter said in the letter it is looking into whether Microsoft exceeded the "reasonable request volume" in what could constitute "abusive usage."

Twitter wants the information by June 7, the letter stated.

The demand comes as Elon Musk looks to generate revenue by getting developers to pay for Twitter platform access that had been free prior to the billionaire taking over.

Musk is also out to counter Microsoft and Google with his recently-established X.AI artificial intelligence corporation based in the US state of Nevada, according to business documents.

Musk last month fired off a Tweet accusing Microsoft of illegally using Twitter data to train artificial intelligence, writing "lawsuit time."

Big tech companies like Google, Meta and Microsoft have spent years working on AI systems -- previously known as machine learning or big data -- to help with translations, search and targeted advertising.

Microsoft is investing billions of dollars in ChatGPT creator OpenAI and has put its technology to work in its Bing internet search service.

Since taking over Twitter in late October, Musk has repeatedly courted controversy, sacking most of its staff, readmitting far-right figures to the platform, suspending journalists and charging for previously free services.

Catch all the Latest Tech News, Mobile News, Laptop News, Gaming news, Wearables News , How To News, also keep up with us on Whatsapp channel,Twitter, Facebook, Google News, and Instagram. For our latest videos, subscribe to our YouTube channel.

First Published Date: 19 May, 09:02 IST
NEXT ARTICLE BEGINS