The Guardian -- Revealed: how Microsoft handed the NSA access to encrypted messages

[Douglas Carpenter]

Revealed: how Microsoft handed the NSA access to encrypted messages

• Secret files show scale of Silicon Valley co-operation on Prism
• Outlook.com encryption unlocked even before official launch
• Skype worked to enable Prism collection of video calls
• Company says it is legally compelled to comply


Skype worked with intelligence agencies last year to allow Prism to collect video and audio conversations. Photograph: Patrick Sinkel/AP

Microsoft has collaborated closely with US intelligence services to allow users' communications to be intercepted, including helping the National Security Agency to circumvent the company's own encryption, according to top-secret documents obtained by the Guardian.

The documents show that:

• Microsoft helped the NSA to circumvent its encryption to address concerns that the agency would be unable to intercept web chats on the new Outlook.com portal;

• The agency already had pre-encryption stage access to email on Outlook.com, including Hotmail;

• The company worked with the FBI this year to allow the NSA easier access via Prism to its cloud storage service SkyDrive, which now has more than 250 million users worldwide;

• Microsoft also worked with the FBI's Data Intercept Unit to "understand" potential issues with a feature in Outlook.com that allows users to create email aliases;

• In July last year, nine months after Microsoft bought Skype, the NSA boasted that a new capability had tripled the amount of Skype video calls being collected through Prism;

link to full article:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jul/11/microsoft-nsa-collaboration-user-data

[NYC_SKP]

1. And, Microsoft made the operating system of most of DU members' computers.

They caved first and here many of us sit, using their Bing search tool, or Google, and wondering why MSNBC doesn't seem to be on our side.

hmmmm.

[Recursion]

3. Note that this is all about Microsoft's *hosted* services

The NSA made Microsoft hand over their servers' SSL certificates, from the sound of it.

[delrem]

2. hmmm, I have the disk space to create a totally open source operating system

and computer environment. Just about all of it is free, the rest is a modest investment compared to investment in a MS Windows experience.

[Douglas Carpenter]

4. kiik