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Microsoft Won't Say If Skype Is Secure Or Not. Time To Change?

Posted by Unknown on from the disinfo-campaign dept.

jetcityorange writes "When asked repeatedly a Microsoft spokesperson refused to confirm or deny that Skype conversations [could be monitored]. Microsoft was granted a patent a month after purchasing Skype that covers 'legal intercept' technology designed to be used with VOIP services. Is it time to consider more secure alternatives like Jitsi like Tor's Jacob Appelbaum suggests?"

6 of 237 comments (clear)

  1. Seriously? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The more shocking idea is the assumption that any major VOIP service based in a major country does not allow intercepting on their services.

    1. Re:Seriously? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      This is the sort of thing that should be attacked at the source, which is the government, not the companies/people that are obliged to abide by the laws set out by that government.

  2. seriously? by GNULinuxGuy · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If you are serious about privacy Skype was never even an option! ;)

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  3. Like any of my conversations . . . by Nostrada · · Score: 5, Insightful

    . . . with my Family are of interest to any government. Come on, Skype is for keeping in touch with the old folks at home. For anything serious you would use something more peer to peer without any 3rd party involved. And even then . . .

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    Cheers, Nostrada
  4. Re:VOIP by davester666 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    That's funny.

    What 'world of hurt' would Microsoft be in for?

    Don't you remember what the US gov't did to help out their friends at AT&T and the rest of the 'conventional' phone industry when they happened to get caught assisting the gov't in mass recording of phone calls?

    Is there any gov't that is not interested in even occasionally listening in some Skype calls? No. Any countries passed a law preventing wiretapping VOIP calls? No. So having a back-door into every call is legal around the world.

    All that's left to argue about is how that back-door is used. And surely you can trust Microsoft to do what's right.

    And I'm sure they've only occasionally wiretapped calls where neither user is within the borders of the requesting country.

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  5. Skype is insecure. by bmo · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "When asked repeatedly a Microsoft spokesperson refused to confirm or deny that Skype conversations [could be monitored]

    Then it's not. When you have to guess, in this case, whether skype is secure, assume the worst. Absence of proof of security is proof of no security.

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    BMO