Microsoft Releases Details Of Law Enforcement Requests
from the good-move dept
Kudos to Microsoft for joining companies like Google and Twitter in releasing transparency reports about government/law enforcement requests for information. On Thursday, Microsoft released data on law enforcement requests from 2012. The report covers requests for pretty much all of Microsoft's key online services, including Hotmail/Outlook, SkyDrive, XBox Live, Office 365 and even Skype. Microsoft has actually gone a step further than others in some areas, such as separating out which law enforcement requests involved sharing "customer content" data (such as images or email subject lines) vs. those that shared "non-content" data (such as identifying information).Because of this distinction, Microsoft points out how rarely it ends up giving law enforcement customer content, noting it happened in only 2.1% of cases (1,558 requests). Nearly all of those requests came from the US government. The only non-US requests that resulted in the sharing of customer content were 14 disclosures given to Brazil, Ireland, Canada and New Zealand.
As for non-content information (i.e., identifying info), Microsoft disclosed that information 56,388 times (excluding Skype, which reported its data separately due to differences in the way they recorded data -- something that is being standardized). The top countries getting such info were the US, UK, Turkey, Germany and France. Turkey seems a bit surprising there. As for Skype, the top requests were from the UK, US, Germany, France and Taiwan. Microsoft also delivered no information at all 18% of the time, either because the company rejected the request or because no info was found, though they apparently don't break down the difference there.
Like Google, Microsoft also revealed how many National Security Letters it received, using a format nearly identical to the way Google released its data not too long ago:
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Filed Under: information requests, nsls, privacy, transparency
Companies: microsoft, skype
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
Mike, you're making Google jealous
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Mike, you're making Google jealous
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Mike, you're making Google jealous
So I totally own this item at the moment! Without me, Mike wouldn't have ANY comments here yet. Just the outright ape and snippy you whom I both compell to sheer ad hom!
That's my function for Mike. He and I have a deal: he puts out obvious tripe and I expose it. Gives the fanboy-trolls an "enemy", drama to spice up their lives. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, Mike and I are free to hang out and laugh how we're gulling the rubes.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Mike, you're making Google jealous
Can you go attention whoring somewhere else?
Like, say, 4-chan?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re: Mike, you're making Google jealous
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Mike, you're making Google jealous
Seek professional help.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Mike, you're making Google jealous
Aping my screen name is a subtle but good stab at Techdirt fanboy-trolls who have nothing to say without copying. You need to study me further to better imitate, and keep trying to understand me, so read over and over. As you progress in aping me, you'll more and more be actually doing for me. -- In other words, I own you, you're nothing without my vital spark, a virtual (but totally autonomous) sock-puppet.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Mike, you're making Google jealous
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Me, I'm making myself jealous!
Take a loopy tour of http://techdirt.com! You always find the same useless comments.
15:34:49[ht-ysd-we]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Limited hangout. That means revealing some to hide worse.
First, of course we have only the word of spokes-droids for power-mad corporations which are all visibly enmeshed with gov't. They can't be trusted an inch, and less when so visibly to corporate benefit besides quelling worries over gov't spying.
But gives Re-write Mike chance for another puff piece. And I'd say from the wild response -- 2 comments in nearly 2 hours as I write -- that's generally agreed.
Lamely winding up a day in which Mike trotted out no less than FOUR major long pieces that attempt to shore up from major defeats yesterday as to how he's been right all along and industries are at last beginning to take his advice. HA.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
I wonder if the content released included Skype conversation. There are all sorts of conspiracy theories out there that Skype has a backdoor so the Govt can spy on it whenever it wants. I'm no conspiracy nut and I do believe there are means to wiretap Skype but I don't believe the Govt meddles whenever it wants. But if I ever find out they do I will not be surprised.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]