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Microsoft: We Offer Up User Data To Law Enforcement 2 Percent of the Time
Nerval's Lobster writes "In its second announcement of the kind, Microsoft revealed [Friday] that it received more than 37,000 requests for information on customers of its Skype, Azure and other services from law enforcement agencies around the world. The count does not include requests made using "National Security Letters" issued by the FBI or other U.S. federal agencies that have the force of a warrant or subpoena, albeit without the oversight or control provided by the courts that issue those sorts of orders. During the first six months of 2013, Microsoft received 37,196 requests that covered a total of 66,539 customer accounts. The company refused to provide any information in response to 21 percent of those requests. It provided "non-content data" in response to 77 percent of the requests – non-content data usually includes information such as names or basic subscriber information rather than information on the content of messages or other details describing online activity of those customers. In 2.19 percent of cases, however, Microsoft reports having provided "customer content data" – which includes the content of messages or data stored in accounts owned by Microsoft companies. Ninety-two percent of requests for customer content came from U.S. law-enforcement agencies."
Amazing how they thought the Scroogled attack ads were a good idea when they're handing nearly everything over too.
Waiting for an amusing sig.
What the summary actually says is that they offer up user data to law enforcement 77% of the time.
And what percentage of the overall information did they actually include in the 2% of requests?
I've never heard the expression "customer content data" before. It seems to exclude metadata, which is one of the major things that the NSA spectacle is about.
Basically, given the things they cannot say anything about (even to deny), it's fairly clear that Microsoft is handing everything over to the NSA (which isn't a law-enforcement agency, you'll note) using an automated mechanism. Probably one that the NSA constructed themselves, having access to everything Microsoft has and is (also known as "full coöperation").
"Ninety-two percent of requests for customer content came from U.S. law-enforcement agencies."
The remaining 8% of request came from various Mafia agencies, I suppose. This raises the obvious question: did Microsoft comply with them in the same proportions as with requests coming from U.S. law-enforcement agencies?
Nuffsaid
________
Don't know about his cat, but Schroedinger is definitely dead.
Even Slashdot's editors don't know the value of metadata, calling it "non-content data", at least on the front page post? Click through the link and read the sub-headline: "Microsoft provided metadata in 77 percent of more than 37,000 law-enforcement requests for information".
Your metadata is as valuable as the content. Otherwise, why would the NSA and Facebook invest so much in it?
A non-warrant with the force of a warrant...talk about your 4th Amendment workarounds!
If there is enough lack of urgency to bother drafting a letter, why is there not enough time to seek a proper warrant?
That's a rhetorical question. I think most people can infer the real answer.
Scruting the inscrutable for over 50 years.
The lack of resistance is so much more so. A big chance to see if we live in a free country, and we're blowing it. What kind of reflection is that on us?
“He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
Where I used to work we gave 100% IF THERE WAS A COURT ORDER. Otherwise we gave nothing. There should be no exception.
One time police officers came in asking for data and they were escorted out with the insight that we would get the data aside and IF they would be coming back within the week with a court order, we would have it ready. If later, we would have to look for it again.
More then once have I told officials to take a hike. And this about serious crimes where I am completely willing to go the extra mile once they give me the court order.
The issue I have is that if I would give the information without a court order, I would be guilty of breaking the law. However they are still allowed to ask for it and they do, trying to use their imaginary authority to impress some who might be more gullible.
Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
2% of requests overall get message content, or 2% of requests that specifically ask for message content?
It'd be in Microsoft's interest to dilute the hell out of this number.
Help yourself to the data : 98% of the time
My ism, it's full of beliefs.
Microsoft are the best good guys in the world and that Linux is a horrible person that can't say developers four times in a row!
My ism, it's full of beliefs.
The other 98% of the time Law Enforcement actually requests it first!
Guns don't kill people; Physics kills people! - John Lithgow as Dick Solomon on Third Rock From The Sun
If MS satisfies only 2% of the requests, it means that the requestor has to send them, on average, 50 copies of the same request. MS then rejects the first 49 copies and approves the last one.
But, as other posters already said, what is MS doing by deciding which requests to satisfy? MS is not part of the justice system in the USA. They should only respond to proper, court-authorized orders, and reject all others. I cannot imagine that 98% of all requests come from rent-a-cops from the mall. So who is it that sends toothless requests, and on what authority they do it?