Salesforce raises Microsoft-LinkedIn antitrust concerns with EU

Salesforce.com is reportedly raising antitrust concerns over Microsoft’s planned purchase of LinkedIn with European Union regulators.

The New York Times reported Thursday that Salesforce is asking the European Commission, the executive arm of the EU, if the deal would impede access for outside companies to LinkedIn’s vast amounts of data.

{mosads}They are also questioning if Microsoft could gain an unfair competitive advantage by combining its own software with LinkedIn’s user information. The Times cited three anonymous sources who aren’t authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

A Microsoft spokesperson told the Times that the deal had already been cleared by antitrust regulators in the U.S. and Canada.

Salesforce also tried to buy LinkedIn but lost out to Microsoft’s $26 billion cash offer, despite offering a higher bid. The cloud computing company is now reportedly considering purchasing Twitter, which is considered valuable in part for its large troves of user data.

It remains to be seen if the commission will actually investigate Salesforce’s complaints.

European Commissioner on Competition Margrethe Vestager said in a speech Thursday that how data is handled is something the commission would consider in the future.

“A company might even buy up a rival just to get hold of its data, even though it hasn’t yet managed to turn that data into money,” she said.

“We are therefore exploring whether we need to start looking at mergers with valuable data involved, even though the company that owns it doesn’t have a large turnover.”

The commission is already reviewing antitrust and tax cases regarding Google and Amazon, respectively. In August, it also ruled that Apple should pay $14.5 billion in back taxes after receiving unfair state aid from Ireland.