Microsoft offices in China get raided in government investigation

Four Microsoft offices in four different cities in China were raided by that country’s business agency, but there is no definitive word as to why.

Microsoft’s facilities in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Chengdu had visits from investigators of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce. A local spokesperson for Microsoft said that the company will “actively cooperate” with the government.

While there was no official word about what the investigation is targeting, it is reportedly due to antitrust issues. A couple months ago, China banned the use of Windows 8, purportedly to evaluate and ensure proper computer security. Chinese media then started circulating reports that the new operating system was being used to gather personal information about Chinese citizens.

The visit also occurred within days after the Chinese government stated that Qualcomm had a monopoly, a strange assertion given all the different chips in use across a whole range of different devices, a huge number of which are actually manufactured in China.

sources: South China Morning Post via WPCentral and Neowin