Microsoft details law enforcement requests in new report

March 22, 2013

Following similar disclosures from companies like Google and Twitter, Microsoft has for the first time released statistics about requests it has received from law enforcement agencies for data about its users, and the criteria it employs to decide how it will respond. The company is seeking to build further on the industry's commitment to transparency by releasing its own data, Brad Smith, general counsel, said in a post on Thursday, which also links to the report. Last year, Microsoft got 75,378 law enforcement requests for customer information, which potentially affected 137,424 accounts or other identifiers, according to Smith. All of its major online services are covered in the report, including Hotmail, Outlook.com, SkyDrive, Xbox LIVE, Office 365, as well as Skype. In 2.1 percent of those cases, Microsoft disclosed what it refers to as customer "content," such as email text or stored photos. Recipients in more than 99 percent of these cases were law enforcement agencies in the U.S. that provided lawful warrants from courts, according to Smith. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

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