The U.S. antitrust agency is investigating Microsoft

ChainCatcher news, according to Jinshi reports, sources say that the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has launched an antitrust investigation into Microsoft (MSFT.O), covering areas from the company's cloud computing and software licensing business to cybersecurity products and artificial intelligence products. After more than a year of informal interviews with Microsoft's competitors and business partners, law enforcement officials have drafted a lengthy request, spanning hundreds of pages, demanding relevant information from Microsoft.

FTC antitrust lawyers will meet with Microsoft's competitors next week to gather more information. One focus of the investigation is Microsoft's bundling of its popular office productivity and security software with cloud products. Following a series of cybersecurity incidents involving Microsoft products, the FTC has intensified its scrutiny of Microsoft's cloud computing business.

Microsoft's missteps in cybersecurity, combined with its status as a government contractor, have raised concerns for the FTC regarding its market influence. Part of the investigation focuses on Microsoft's practices related to the security software Microsoft Entra ID (formerly known as Azure Active Directory), which helps verify user logins to cloud-based software.