{"id":5192,"date":"2014-04-01T12:41:38","date_gmt":"2014-04-01T16:41:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.nccomputertech.com\/?p=5192"},"modified":"2014-04-01T12:41:38","modified_gmt":"2014-04-01T16:41:38","slug":"microsoft-changes-course-wont-access-user-data-in-theft-probes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2014\/04\/01\/microsoft-changes-course-wont-access-user-data-in-theft-probes\/","title":{"rendered":"Microsoft changes course, won’t access user data in theft probes"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Microsoft will no longer go through email messages and other personal data that users of its online services have stored on its servers, a decision taken after being sharply criticized for accessing a person\u2019s inbox as part of an internal investigation.<\/p>\n

\u201cEffective immediately, if we receive information indicating that someone is using our services to traffic in stolen intellectual or physical property from Microsoft, we will not inspect a customer\u2019s private content ourselves,\u201d said Brad Smith, Microsoft\u2019s general counsel and executive vice president, legal and corporate affairs, in a blog post on Friday.<\/p>\n

Instead, the company will refer the matter to law enforcement agencies if further action is required, he said.<\/p>\n

Microsoft sparked an outcry last week when it revealed that it had looked at messages from a blogger\u2019s Hotmail account as part of a company investigation into trade-secret leaks.<\/p>\n

The company subsequently amended its policies, saying that in the future a separate legal team at the company would review evidence in similar cases before deciding to access an end user\u2019s data.<\/p>\n

Since then, \u201cwe\u2019ve had the opportunity to reflect further on this issue\u201d after having internal conversations and talks with advocacy groups and other experts, Smith wrote.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlthough our terms of service, like those of others in our industry, allowed us to access lawfully the account in this case, the circumstances raised legitimate questions about the privacy interests of our customers,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n

However, it might not be a blanket promise. The company did not say whether it would also change its policies if the case involves a matter other than stolen property. Microsoft did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n

Microsoft said it will incorporate the change into its customer terms of service in the coming months.<\/p>\n

via Microsoft changes course, won’t access user data in theft probes | PCWorld<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  Microsoft will no longer go through email messages and other personal data that users of its online services have […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[5,7,10],"tags":[254,858],"class_list":["post-5192","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-microsoft","category-security","category-technology","tag-data-center-cloud","tag-productivity-social"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/papNkV-1lK","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":6805,"url":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2014\/11\/13\/here-comes-the-new-office-microsoft-melds-applications-to-present-data-in-flexible-shareable-ways\/","url_meta":{"origin":5192,"position":0},"title":"Here comes the new Office: Microsoft melds applications to present data in flexible, shareable ways","author":"NCCT","date":"November 13, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Delve, Sway, Revolve: For those who don\u2019t follow Microsoft\u2019s products closely, the words might sound like instructions for a nerdy line dance. But like the mashup generation they\u2019re written for, the three new apps take elements of Microsoft\u2019s productivity generation and blend them together. The mantra of productivity is months\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Microsoft"","block_context":{"text":"Microsoft","link":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/category\/microsoft\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":8606,"url":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2015\/09\/11\/didnt-ask-for-windows-10-your-pc-may-have-downloaded-it-anyway-pcworld\/","url_meta":{"origin":5192,"position":1},"title":"Didn\u2019t ask for Windows 10? Your PC may have downloaded it anyway","author":"NCCT","date":"September 11, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Whether you want Windows 10 or not, Microsoft says it may download the files to your PC regardless. In a statement to the Inquirer, Microsoft confirmed that it automatically downloads Windows 10 installation files on eligible PCs, provided automatic updates are enabled through Windows Update. The download occurs even if\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Microsoft"","block_context":{"text":"Microsoft","link":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/category\/microsoft\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":6418,"url":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2014\/09\/11\/windows-8-1-overtakes-windows-8-worldwide-as-windows-xp-refuses-to-die\/","url_meta":{"origin":5192,"position":2},"title":"Windows 8.1 overtakes Windows 8 worldwide, as Windows XP ‘refuses to die’","author":"NCCT","date":"September 11, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Microsoft staff will likely be raising a glass or two, thanks to the latest available data. According to new data released by StatCounter on Tuesday, the latest version of Windows 8.1 has overtaken its predecessor Windows 8 for the first time, in terms of internet usage worldwide. The research firm's\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Microsoft"","block_context":{"text":"Microsoft","link":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/category\/microsoft\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/windows8-1-hero-610x343.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/windows8-1-hero-610x343.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/windows8-1-hero-610x343.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8753,"url":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2015\/11\/16\/microsoft-writes-the-final-chapter-in-the-book-of-zune\/","url_meta":{"origin":5192,"position":3},"title":"Microsoft writes the final chapter in the book of Zune","author":"NCCT","date":"November 16, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"By Shawn Knight | TechSpot Microsoft over the weekend wrote the final chapter in the book of Zune, making good on its promise to retire a streaming music subscription service long past its prime. The move means that owners of Microsoft\u2019s failed media player are no longer able to streaming\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Microsoft"","block_context":{"text":"Microsoft","link":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/category\/microsoft\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":6416,"url":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2014\/09\/09\/microsoft-re-releases-withdrawn-updates\/","url_meta":{"origin":5192,"position":4},"title":"Microsoft re-releases withdrawn updates","author":"NCCT","date":"September 9, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Microsoft has re-released the remaining August updates that the company had withdrawn. All three were non-security updates. They had already re-released one security update last week. The three updates are: August 2014 update rollup for Windows RT 8.1, Windows 8.1, and Windows Server 2012 R2 (KB2975719) August 2014 update rollup\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Microsoft"","block_context":{"text":"Microsoft","link":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/category\/microsoft\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":8593,"url":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2015\/09\/01\/microsoft-accused-of-adding-spy-features-to-windows-7-8\/","url_meta":{"origin":5192,"position":5},"title":"Microsoft accused of adding spy features to Windows 7, 8","author":"NCCT","date":"September 1, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"By\u00a0 Peter Bright | Ars Technica Windows' network activity continues to be scrutinized amid privacy concerns. Windows 10 was first put under the microscope with both new and old features causing concern. With its Cortana digital personal assistant, Windows 10 represents a new breed of operating system that incorporates extensive\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Microsoft"","block_context":{"text":"Microsoft","link":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/category\/microsoft\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5192","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5192"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5192\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5192"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5192"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5192"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}