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They're Reading Your Mail: Microsoft's ToS, Windows 8 Leak, and Snooping

Posted by timothy on from the learned-it-from-watching-the-nsa dept.

After the recent Windows 8 leak by recently arrrested then-Microsoft employee Alex Kibkalo, Microsoft has tweaked its privacy policies, but also defended reading the email of the French blogger to whom Kibkalo sent the software. "The blogger in question, who remains unidentified, happened to use Hotmail—the investigation began in 2012 before Hotmail's Outlook.com transition—as his primary email account. So as part of its investigation, Microsoft peeked into the blogger's email account to read that person's correspondence with Kibkalo. ... Microsoft says it was justified in searching the blogger's email account, because it had probable cause to believe Kibkalo was funneling trade secrets to the blogger.The company also pointed out that even with its justification for searching the account, it would have been impossible to gain a court order." "The legal system wouldn't have let us" seems a strange argument to defend any act of snooping.

5 of 206 comments (clear)

  1. Don't store unencrypted email online by gwstuff · · Score: 4, Insightful

    While this story is crazy, and MS should be spitballed for it... I don't buy that other companies that let your store your data online don't give access to your data to their employee, if only for "debugging and administrative purposes." If you want to store your data online encrypt it.

  2. Scroogled by Microsoft! by hsmith · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Here is to Microsofts shit ad campaign "Scroogled" - first they snoop on all Skype communication and now they admit to reading emails LOOKING for things.

    I fully expect the daft ad men at Microsoft to continue their pathetic ad campaign.

    Glass houses and all that.

  3. Re: Bad summary by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    That is not a universal law. In Europe your landlord can not enter the flat without the tenants permission. It is expressly forbidden.

  4. Re: Bad summary by sribe · · Score: 5, Insightful

    A landlord can go into your apartment without your permission also.

    Wrong. Except in cases of emergency, he needs your permission. Unlike what some people think, you do get a few rights when you pay for the use of the apartment...

  5. Remember kids... by mwvdlee · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Remember kids...
    Do not store incriminating evidence on the servers of the company you're trying to screw.

    --
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