Microsoft Helped The NSA Bypass Its Own Encryption Software, Spy On Its Clients

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A few days ago, when we reportedthat NSA code had been inserted in Google's Android open-sourced OS (much to the fury of open-source code advocates everywhere), we noted that it has been public information that over a decade ago, Microsoft had inadvertently left clear signs that it was providing backdoor accessto its legacy Microsoft operating systems. It turns out that this was merely the beginning. According to another just released report by the Guardian citing Snowden files, "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."

From the Guardian:

The files provided by Edward Snowden illustrate the scale of co-operation between Silicon Valley and the intelligence agencies over the last three years. They also shed new light on the workings of the top-secret Prism program, which was disclosed by the Guardian and the Washington Post last month.

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;
  • Skype, which was bought by Microsoft in October 2011, worked with intelligence agencies last year to allow Prism to collect video of conversations as well as audio;
  • Material collected through Prism is routinely shared with the FBI and CIA, with one NSA document describing the program as a "team sport".

None of this is any surprise: that America's electronic communication sector is in bed with Uncle Bush and Uncle Obama was made abundantly clear in ""You Should Use Both" - How America's Internet Companies Are Handing Over Your Data To Uncle Sam." Still, prima facieproof that corporations systematically betray the privacy of their clients in order to curry favor with the government should be troubling if only to those who are not in the same state of completely symbiotic relationship with the government and whose sustinence depends on preserving Big Government at all costs, which as we will shows in a post shortly is just over 110 million Americans.

More from the Guardian explaining how anyone using MSFT products should be aware that the NSA logs every single keystroke:

Microsoft Helped The NSA Bypass Its Own Encryption Software, Spy On Its Clients | Zero Hedge

 

From initial alleged few thousand now it is an access to "more than 250 million users worldwide"

It will be a story like JP Morgan "risky investments" : from a billion $ or two, it was growing, and growing, and growing ...

 

Yep,

privacy is definitely a thing of the past, right guys? The thing is.... now be honest, ever since you've been using the Internet haven't you been pretty much aware that "they" are monitoring you? Or at least have it in their capabilities to? I think if most of us are honest we'd admit that we always knew they were doing shady things like this. The only difference is that now it's out in the open.

That's what I think anyway....

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