Italy’s antitrust authority said on Friday it had opened an investigation into Microsoft over alleged unfair commercial practices linked to a price increase for its Microsoft 365 subscription service.
The regulator said the company failed to adequately inform consumers that Microsoft 365 had been integrated with its artificial intelligence tools, Copilot and Designer.
According to the watchdog, customers were automatically shifted to a more expensive subscription plan unless they actively opted out, while receiving insufficient information to make an informed decision about renewing their contracts.
The authority said the practice could be considered aggressive because it unduly restricted consumers’ freedom of choice.
Microsoft did not immediately respond to requests for comment.