Microsoft to Stop Inspecting Private Emails in Investigations

[Jesus Malverde]

Microsoft will no longer snoop on customers’ private communications during investigations of stolen property, the company’s general counsel said on Friday.

Instead, the general counsel, Brad Smith, said Microsoft would hand over any such investigations to law enforcement agencies. Those agencies can then obtain court orders to inspect private communications on Microsoft’s various Internet services, which include Outlook.com and Skype.

The change came a week after Microsoft faced an uproar over the methods it used in 2012 to investigate the suspected leak of software code by a former employee. An important break in that inquiry, which was conducted by an internal team at Microsoft, came when Microsoft read the private Hotmail emails and instant messages by an unnamed French blogger, which led it to the former Microsoft employee, Alex Kibkalo.

Microsoft said it performed such searches of private communications only in rare circumstances. Even though the searches appeared to be legal and in compliance with its own terms of service, the company faced criticism from privacy advocates and others who warned that it would discourage bloggers, journalists and others from using Microsoft communications services.

Read More: http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/03/28/microsoft-to-stop-inspecting-private-emails-in-investigations/

[MADem]

1. So...they won't search; they'll let others do it instead!

I have to say, what kind of idiot reporter uses MICROSOFT's email to communicate with a leaker about MICROSOFT leaks in the first place? Particularly when other providers of "free" email have done shit like target ads at users based on words they write in their emails?

The assumption that the reporter and his source had an expectation of privacy is what astounded me.

I don't think this new policy is "impressive" at all. Depending on a corporation to follow Marquis of Queensberry rules is just naive. I'll bet they'll snoop before they call the cops, even if they say they won't, and if they find something damning, they'll lean on LE like a mutha to get the warrant and get cracking. Same result, obtained with a cover of legality.

[Jesus Malverde]

2. The reporter is a microsoft blogger, so presumably he's all in on the MSFT ecosystem.

I think the fact they own Skype is the scariest.

[MADem]

3. I'll bet he wishes he used POTS instead of e-mail!

NSA might be listening, but Microsoft won't be!!