Microsoft Accuses Google of Running 'Shadow Campaigns' in Europe to Influence Regulators

Microsoft has publicly accused its longtime rival Google of running “shadow campaigns” in Europe aimed at discrediting the software giant with regulators and misleading the public.

CNBC reports that Microsoft has openly accused Google of engaging in covert operations to undermine the company’s reputation with European regulators and the public. In a blog post published on Monday, Microsoft lawyer Rima Alaily alleged that Google hired a firm to recruit European cloud companies to represent the search giant’s case against Microsoft.

According to Alaily, Google has gone to great lengths to conceal its involvement, funding, and control over what she described as an “astroturf group” designed to discredit Microsoft with competition authorities, policymakers, and the public. The group, called the Open Cloud Coalition, is allegedly being launched this week with the backing of Google and a handful of European cloud providers serving as its public face.

Microsoft claims that one company, which declined to participate in the coalition, informed them that the group would receive financial support from Google and criticize Microsoft’s practices in Europe. Alaily also linked to a flyer for the Open Cloud Coalition, which states that the consortium is being formed to advocate for a fair, competitive, and open cloud services industry across the UK and EU.

Google, however, maintains that it has been very public about its concerns with Microsoft’s cloud licensing practices. A Google Cloud spokesperson stated, “We and many others believe that Microsoft’s anticompetitive practices lock-in customers and create negative downstream effects that impact cybersecurity, innovation, and choice.”

This conflict represents a fresh battle between the two tech giants, which compete in various sectors, including cloud infrastructure, online advertising, and productivity software. Google is currently facing increased regulatory scrutiny in both Europe and the United States, where it is in the midst of its second antitrust trial brought by the Justice Department.