Salesforce Blocks Glean, Other Software Firms From Storing Slack Data

Salesforce recently changed its terms of service for a Slack API that third-party software providers like Glean have used to let customers make their Slack messages and other data searchable, The Information reported.

The changes mean that firms like Glean won’t be able to index and store Slack data for use with its own search technology, which could force them to make changes to products.

The Slack policy changes reflect the growing value of customer data at a time where Salesforce and other tech giants see this data at the key to building new and unique AI products. They also raise questions about whether customers should have control over the data they create when using commercial applications, or whether it belongs to application providers.

In another example of competitive friction over customer data, Celonis, which sells software for improving business processes, sued SAP in March for alleging blocking a Celonis tool for extracting customer data from SAP applications. The companies struck a temporary agreement earlier this month that stops the blocking while they proceed with the lawsuit.