Italy regulator probes Microsoft over ‘Microsoft 365’ price hike

Italy’s antitrust authority said on Friday it had opened an investigation into Microsoft over alleged unfair commercial practices ‌linked ⁠to ⁠the price hike of its “Microsoft 365” subscription.

The regulator said the Windows maker did not adequately inform consumers that its Microsoft 365 ⁠service had ‌been integrated with artificial intelligence tools Copilot ⁠and Designer.

Consumers were automatically moved to a more expensive subscription plan unless they actively opted out, while receiving insufficient information to decide whether to renew their ‌contracts, the watchdog added in its statement.

It added that the ⁠tech giant’s practice could be considered aggressive because it unduly limited consumers’ freedom of choice.

Microsoft was not immediately available for comment.