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Microsoft Releases 2012 Law Enforcement Requests Report

Posted by timothy on from the why-since-you-asked dept.

wiredog writes "Microsoft has released a report of all the subpoenas and other requests it got from law enforcement in 2012, and the way it responded to them. This is similar to the Google Transparency Report."

33 comments

  1. I like how we file Microsoft articles under Google by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Eventually we will boil it down to two categories: Linux and other shit.

  2. All of them? by fustakrakich · · Score: 0

    For some reason I find that highly doubtful... Patriot Act and all.

    --
    “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
  3. How about Intelligence Agncies by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I didn't see in the article where it lists the requests from Intelligence Agencies. Are they requesting the info under the aegis of Law Enforcement/

    1. Re:How about Intelligence Agncies by Synerg1y · · Score: 1

      It mentions the NSA & that they're legally obligated not to disclose those.

    2. Re:How about Intelligence Agncies by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The reason they cant disclose those is that they were something like:

      NSA: Hey Microsoft, can we see that private key you have that signs everything?

      Microsoft: But if we gave that away, no one would trust us and they will drop that key (if the os lets them)

      NSA: Don't worry, we can make it so no one can legally find out...

  4. Re:TEST PLEASE IGNORE by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Keep it. It's beautiful.

  5. Re:Microsoft and US Gov attempting to ban HOSTS fi by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Sure thing, Slashdot user two million eight hundred thousand eight-seven.

  6. holy tied tongue, bat nerds by wbr1 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I am glad to see I am not the only one who deos not know what to say about this. We all want to bash MS, but here they actualyy did something pro-consumer/pro-society without a legal mandate to do so. What can be said?
    Sorry microsoft, I am still not going to reccomend windows 8 though.

    --
    Silence is a state of mime.
    1. Re:holy tied tongue, bat nerds by Nerdfest · · Score: 2

      If their competition does it, they look pretty bad not doing it. Perhaps they can release a bribery report on those interactions with government next.

    2. Re:holy tied tongue, bat nerds by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      hahaha. It's funny cuz it's true. And sad. Kinda like Walmart with that whole mexican bribery thing. Haven't heard peep about that in months. Looks like the giant beast gets away with yet more bullshit.

  7. Sceptical by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Are they just trying to convince people the are an open book in wake of the recent bribery allegations?

  8. Re:I like how we file Microsoft articles under Goo by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Eventually we will boil it down to two categories: Linux and evil shit.

    FTFY.

  9. Good start by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This is good, next lets see what kind of 'operating costs' money you give to government officials in different countries. It would be nice to get a baseline.

  10. Re:Free Expression? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ZZZZZzzzzzzzzzz...

  11. Can somebody please explain... by Synerg1y · · Score: 1

    I get that the US is up there, France & Germany have a surprising amount of requests, but I'm pretty sure at least France is a firewall country. But Turkey... what? They have 11k legit internet users?

    They are right up there w the states at 11k, there is no reference to Turkey anywhere in my knowledge of IT and how it applies to the world, so why would they have so many requests.

    1. Re:Can somebody please explain... by Nixoloco · · Score: 1

      I get that the US is up there, France & Germany have a surprising amount of requests, but I'm pretty sure at least France is a firewall country. But Turkey... what? They have 11k legit internet users?

      They are right up there w the states at 11k, there is no reference to Turkey anywhere in my knowledge of IT and how it applies to the world, so why would they have so many requests.

      I found that curious as well. It may be related to the fact that Turkey has a lot of "laws that limit speech deemed insulting to Turkishness, and expressions of political extremism". They are fairly heavy into Internet censorship as well and even blocked all of YouTube for a long time. There are a lot of topics that aren't allowed to report about and they have ongoing legal proceedings against lots of online journalists.

    2. Re:Can somebody please explain... by Synerg1y · · Score: 1

      Never knew Turkey was so heavy on being a police state. I always thought that region was at best a bit lawless. Numbers are numbers though, same # of requests as the states, 1/4 the people. Thanks for the answer, I feel like they've stayed off the radar in the internet censorship debate completely.

    3. Re:Can somebody please explain... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You know what, I don't think I have ever seen someone use their own ignorance as a way to try and strengthen an argument like that.

      You might be good at IT but that doesn't mean you have any clue what's going on. I find it amusing how people who stereotypically spend all their time in doors glued to a screen think they know so much about the world.

      Here's a what a simple google search could have taught you about Turkey in relation to IT:

      the TLD is co.tr

      Internet Usage Statistics:
      35,000,000 Internet users as of June/10, 45.0% of the population, according to the ITU.

      YEAR Users Population % Pop. Usage Source

      2000 2,000,000 70,140,900 2.9 % ITU
      2004 5,500,000 73,556,173 7.5 % ITU
      2006 10,220,000 74,709,412 13.9 % Comp. Ind. Almanac
      2010 35,000,000 77,804,122 45.0 % Comp. Ind. Almanac

      in fact, http://www.turkstat.gov.tr yourself you ignorant keyboard gigalo.

  12. Looks like NSL requests went down in 2012 by steelfood · · Score: 1

    I wonder why. Is it because Microsoft is becoming less relevant (in the online world where NSLs would apply), or because there's a reduction in NSLs overall.

    I suspect, considering Google didn't see a similar decline, the former.

    --
    "If a nation expects to be ignorant and free in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be."
    1. Re:Looks like NSL requests went down in 2012 by robp · · Score: 1

      You should know soon enough--although the administration doesn't want the recipients of NSLs getting too specific, the FBI has to cough up a yearly total. It provided a count for 2011 (16,511 NSLs, covering 7,201 people) on April 30 of last year, so if they stick to that timing we should get last year's total in another month or so.

  13. When will telecoms release these numbers? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The tech companies and ISPs pale in comparison to the number of requests for Mobile Telecommunication companies. When will AT&T Wireless, Verizon Wireless, Sprint, and T-Mobile release their data?

  14. Re:I like how we file Microsoft articles under Goo by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    In Soviet Russia, Linux boils shit!

  15. And once again... by DerekLyons · · Score: 1

    And once again, despite all the noise and hype... the numbers are vanishingly small. Much smaller than you'd expect.

    And no, don't come back with "but they should be zero". That's just ignorant and stupid. The 'net is a central part of a lot of people's lives now and if they're under investigation their 'net activity is and should be part of that, just like phone records, credit card records, etc... etc...

  16. Microsoft likes Macs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Interesting, pop open the PDF and have a look at Document Properties. Creator: "Adobe InDesign CS6 (Macintosh)". Sort of funny, coming from Microsoft. I imagine they hired some outside company to do the layout, but still.