Risky Biz News: Microsoft’s thanksgiving treat: an FTC investigation
Nov 29, 2024
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The podcast dives into the FTC's antitrust investigation into Microsoft, highlighting its implications for the tech industry. It raises alarms about the Tor Project's urgent need for new bridges to combat Russian censorship. The discussion covers rising cyber threats due to geopolitical tensions, illustrated by the Ukraine war, and offers regulatory updates from the UK and India. Recent cybersecurity incidents, including a ransomware attack in Hoboken and a significant court ruling on cryptocurrency, are also explored, alongside emerging malware threats.
The FTC's antitrust investigation into Microsoft's practices could reshape regulatory standards around cloud services and competition in the tech industry.
The Tor project's appeal for new bridges underscores the critical need for tools that enable users to circumvent censorship amidst rising geopolitical tensions.
Deep dives
Antitrust Investigation into Microsoft
An antitrust investigation has been initiated into Microsoft's business practices, focusing on their software licensing, cloud computing, cybersecurity, and AI operations. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has received complaints from customers alleging that Microsoft is engaging in practices that lock them into their ecosystem, stifling competition. This inquiry follows Google's formal antitrust complaint against Microsoft's cloud services in the EU. If substantiated, these claims could lead to significant regulatory changes in how Microsoft operates its cloud and other technology services.
Emerging Cybersecurity Challenges
The Tor project has highlighted the urgent need for 200 new bridges to help Russian users circumvent censorship and maintain access to their network. By utilizing the WebTunnel protocol, these bridges can disguise Tor connections as ordinary web traffic, making them harder to detect. Concurrently, the Indian government has implemented new cybersecurity rules that mandate quicker reporting of incidents, raising concerns about potential misuse for surveillance purposes. These developments reflect an increasing urgency in addressing cybersecurity vulnerabilities as geopolitical tensions escalate.