Company representative attempts to clear the air.
After alleged details of its collaboration with U.S. intelligence agencies were published last week, Microsoft quickly refuted accusations that it provides unfettered access to private user data for domestic surveillance. But with the NSA's rumored PRISM program still making headlines, Microsoft is taking additional strides to clear the air. In a blog post today, Microsoft's Executive Vice President of Legal & Corporate Affairs, Brad Smith, offered new insight into the company's compliance with government requests and its ongoing efforts to gain permission to release detailed records of its security practices.
In the post, Smith denies that Microsoft has provided government agencies with methods to circumvent the encryption of data stored in or transmitted through Skype, Outlook, Hotmail, or SkyDrive, as indicated by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden. He goes on to echo the company's original response, stating that Microsoft handles each request on a case-by-case basis, providing data for specific users only after the proper court order is issued:
"Microsoft does not provide any government with direct and unfettered access to our customer’s data," Smith said. "Microsoft only pulls and then provides the specific data mandated by the relevant legal demand."
The statement contrasts last week's report, which claimed that Microsoft collaborated with the NSA, FBI, and other agencies to provide streamlined access to user data. At no point, Smith says, has Microsoft provided the government with encryption keys or direct access to private user data.
Microsoft has petitioned the government for permission to release documents that offer greater detail about the national security requests it has received, but the request, Smith says, has gone unanswered. In the post, he appeals to the Attorney General directly, asking that he personally see to it that Microsoft and others be allowed to share their practices publicly.
"We believe the U.S. Constitution guarantees our freedom to share more information with the public," Smith said. "Yet the Government is stopping us."
