Microsoft prohibitions cloud mining

Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) has forbidden digital asset block reward mining from all its online services, joining fellow tech giants Google (NASDAQ: GOOGL) and Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN), which have restrictive policies on mining.

Microsoft softly updated its Universal License Terms for Online Services newly, with the guidelines coming into effect on December 1. The update, which covers all “Microsoft-hosted services to which Customer subscribes under a Microsoft volume licensing agreement,” mainly targets users of the company’s cloud computing platform Azure.

“Neither Customer nor those that entrance an Online Service through Customer may use an Online Service: to mine cryptocurrency without Microsoft’s prior written approval,” the updated guidelines stated. Initially, the software giant didn’t illuminate its sudden changes, nor did it expose them in any other way aside from updating its user guidelines. However, after news outlet The Register reported on the changes, Microsoft issued an advisory to its partners.