I-Tech giant Microsoft ibheke ukucutshungulwa okusha okuvela kwiFederal Trade Commission (FTC), esethule uphenyo ukuze kutholwe ukuthi inkampani iye yazibandakanya yini nemikhuba ephikisana nokuncintisana ehlobene nezinkonzo zayo ezihlukahlukene zobuchwepheshe. Akukhona okokuqala le nkampani izithola isiphakathi kwabalawuli, kodwa ububanzi balolu phenyo lubonakala lubanzi kakhulu kunasezikhathini ezedlule.
Okugxilwe kakhulu komlawuli we-Antitrust kufaka phakathi imisebenzi ye-Microsoft ye-cloud computing, ukusetshenziswa kwayo kobuhlakani bokwenziwa kanye namalayisensi ayo esoftware. I-FTC nayo ibuyekeza ukuthi kanjani inkampani isebenzise izinkontileka zikahulumeni ukuhlanganisa isikhundla sayo emakethe. Lezi zinqubo kube yisihloko sezikhalazo ezivela kwabaqhudelana nabo abakholelwa ukuthi iMicrosoft isebenzisa ukubusa kwayo ukukhawulela ukukhetha kwabathengi futhi ivimbele ukuncintisana.
Iphenyani i-FTC?
I-FTC icubungula ukuthi I-Microsoft ihlanganisa izinsiza zayo zamafu neminye imikhiqizo ngaleyo ndlela kungakhuthazi amakhasimende ukuthi asebenzise abanye abahlinzeki-mpahla. Izinkampani ezifana ne-Google, i-Slack ne-Zoom zizwakalise ukukhathazeka ngamaqhinga athathwa njengamelene nokuncintisana, njengokufaka i-Microsoft Teams eceleni kwezinhlelo zokusebenza ezidumile ezifana ne-Word ne-Excel noma ukukhokhisa izimali ezingafani zalabo abafuna ukuthuthela idatha yabo kumasevisi aphikisanayo.
Ngaphezu kwalokho, kwenziwa ucwaningo lokuthi kanjani IMicrosoft isebenzise ubudlelwano bayo noHulumeni wase-United States. Le nkampani kubikwa ukuthi inikeze izinsiza zokuphepha zamahhala ekuqaleni ezikhungweni zikahulumeni, iwaxhuma ezinkundleni zayo ngokuhamba kwesikhathi ngezindleko eziphezulu zokufudukela kwabanye abahlinzeki. Lokhu sekuqubule izinsolo mayelana nokuphulwa kwemithetho yokungathembeki okungenzeka.
Izikhalazo zesimbangi
Phakathi kwabagxeki kakhulu be-Microsoft kukhona i-Google Cloud, esanda kufaka isikhalazo ku-European Union ngamalayisensi e-software yefu ye-Microsoft. Ngokombono wabo, lawa malayisensi enza kube nzima kubahlinzeki abancintisana nabo ukufinyelela imakethe. Ngokunjalo, amapulatifomu afana no-Slack asole iMicrosoft ngokufaka amaThimba ngokuzenzakalelayo kumaphakheji ayo ebhizinisi, isenzo abasicabangelayo. iqhinga lokuhlanganisa imakethe.
Imakethe ye-cloud computing ibhekene nokukhula okukhulu ngenxa yesidingo esiqhutshwa ubuhlakani bokwenziwa nezinsizakalo ze-cybersecurity. Kulo mongo, iMicrosoft inendawo enelungelo ne-Azure, ikleliswe njengomhlinzeki wesibili ngobukhulu ngemuva kwe-Amazon Web Services (AWS). Nokho, izimbangi zayo ziyakugxeka ukuthi lobu buholi bakhelwe ngamasu angabazekayo.
I-Microsoft nokuvikela kwayo
Ngakolunye uhlangothi, iMicrosoft iye yazivikela ngokomlando izenzo zayo, iphikisa ngokuthi inhloso yayo ukunikeza izixazululo ezididiyelwe ezizuzisa abathengi. Nokho, Abalawuli baseMelika babonakala bezimisele ukuphenya ngokujulile. Ngokusho kwe-FTC, isinqumo sokuvula uphenyo olusemthethweni sibangelwa izigameko zakamuva, ezifana namaphutha ezokuphepha athinte izigidi zamadivaysi e-Windows, kuphakamisa imibuzo mayelana nokulawula kwenkampani emikhakheni ebalulekile.
Ngaphezu kwalokho, iziphathimandla ziyakugcizelela lokho I-Microsoft ilawula izigidigidi zamadola kuma-software nezinkontileka zezinsizakalo noHulumeni. Lo mongo wengeza izinga elingeziwe lokukhathazeka mayelana nokuthi izindaba ezihlobene nokuphepha ku-inthanethi zingaba nemiphumela ehlukahlukene kanjani.
Isimo sezepolitiki esishintshayo
Ikusasa lalolu cwaningo lingancika kakhulu ezinguqukweni zezombangazwe e-United States. USihlalo wamanje we-FTC uLina Khan, owaziwa ngokuma kwakhe kanzima ngokumelene ne-Big Tech, uzoqeda isikhathi sakhe lapho kufika Uphiko Lwezokuphatha olusha ngoJanuwari 2025. Nakuba imininingwane okwamanje iyimfihlo, izinqubomgomo zokungathembeki zingashintsha kakhulu ngaphansi kobuholi obusha bezepolitiki.
E-Europe, iziphathimandla ziye zazama ukunqanda imikhuba evelele ye-Microsoft. Ngokwesibonelo, I-European Commission ifune izinguquko kumadili e-Microsoft ahlobene ne-Azure ngemva kokuthola izikhalazo eziningi ezivela ezinkampanini eziyizimbangi ngo-2022. Le mizamo ibonisa ingcindezi ekhulayo yamazwe ngamazwe yokukhawulela ububanzi bemikhuba engabonakala njengokuhlukumeza ukubusa.
Icala leMicrosoft ligqamisa ukungezwani phakathi kweziphathimandla ezilawulayo nezinkampani ezinkulu zobuchwepheshe. Nakuba izimbangi ziphikelela esidingweni semithetho eqinile, iMicrosoft iyaqhubeka nokwandisa ukusebenza kwayo ezimakethe ezibalulekile ezifana nefu, i-cybersecurity kanye nobuhlakani bokwenziwa. Umphumela walolu phenyo ungashintsha isimo sokuncintisana kokubili e-United States nasemhlabeni wonke.