On June 26, Rome time, Italy's antitrust regulator announced an investigation into Microsoft's alleged unfair business practices due to the price increase of its "Microsoft 365" subscription service.
The agency pointed out in the statement that Microsoft recently integrated the "Microsoft 365" service with its artificial intelligence tools Copilot and Designer, but did not fully inform consumers of the relevant situation. In this context, users are automatically migrated to more expensive subscription plans without actively opting out. Regulators believe that consumers do not receive enough information when renewing their contracts to make informed decisions about whether to continue renewing their contracts.
The Italian antitrust agency believes that the above practices may be regarded as "offensive" business practices because it inappropriately restricts consumers' freedom of choice. Regulators emphasized that under the current situation, users are faced with passive acceptance of price increases and functional changes, rather than independent choices based on full knowledge.
As of now, Microsoft has not provided an immediate response to this investigation.