back to article Government demands for people's personal info from Microsoft reach all-time low

Government requests for people's data from Microsoft fell to the all-time low of 23,000 in the last half of 2017, as Redmond's rate of rejecting the requests rose to a high of 17 per cent. The software behemoth has published transparency data on requests from global law enforcement agencies, US national security orders and …

  1. Ken Moorhouse Silver badge

    Re: Government requests for people's data from Microsoft fell

    Maybe there is no longer any need for it to be "requested".

    1. Zakhar

      Re: Government requests for people's data from Microsoft fell

      And also nobody uses this O.S. anymore (thanks Apple & Google)!

    2. bombastic bob Silver badge
      Devil

      Re: Government requests for people's data from Microsoft fell

      no longer any need for it to be "requested"

      My first reaction to this was "'Obaka D.O.J.' vs 'Trump D.O.J.'" and "draining the swamp".

      And if the requests become "we really need this" kinds of info, and it's WELL justified [instead of, let's say, a FISHING EXPEDITION], then data providers (like Micro-shaft) might be more WILLING to cooperate...

      But yeah - I hope Micro-shaft and OTHER data providers hold out FOREVER in any cases where it's pretty obvious that the D.O.J. is simply on a FISHING EXPEDITION. Any judge signing an order like THAT _deserves_ to be 'objected to' and such a case where a motion to compel discovery might lead to an actual TRIAL over it, I think Micro-shaft [and others] would WIN, and it would be a really GOOD fight for them to engage in, in the name of data security at least. Good P.R.. But of course, IANAL and my legal opinions might not work as well as I'd like.

      As for providing information when it's LEGITIMATE to do so, I tend to favor the cops on this one. And fewer requests, I think, would increase the percentage of cases in which it _IS_ legitimate.

    3. streaky

      Re: Government requests for people's data from Microsoft fell

      Maybe there is no longer any need for it to be "requested".

      No joke I'd assume that means this, it'd be interesting to do a statistical analysis of customer numbers of Microsoft, Google, Apple and a few others and compare it with volume of data requests to see if there's a relative change. If I was Microsoft I'd be doing this right now.

  2. Rob Fisher

    Zero knowledge the only way

    "it rejected just 2.4 per cent of requests made in January to June and 3.4 per cent in July to December."

    Big whoop. Looks like using zero knowledge services is the only way to get any hope of privacy*. Though I wonder if it is possible to offer such services without eventually falling foul of some law.

    * If your threat model includes a determined state you're probably not going to hide for long, one way or another. Would be useful to know how naughty you have to be before governments make requests about you to Microsoft.

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Devil

    Guess they've got it all by now

    and can get the rest with out them

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