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Microsoft 'Spy Guide' Is Worth a Read

Mar 06 2010

Posted by as Hide IP Address





For a while there, it looked like watchdog site Cryptome was no more, finally sunk by a takedown request from Microsoft after publishing one of the company’s internal documents. Now that it’s been revived (with the whole e-mail thread between the site’s administrators and Microsoft’s legal counsel reprinted on its home page), you can take a look at the offending document in question, labeled the “spy guide” by many of my colleagues in the media.

Saddled with the hefty title, “Microsoft Online Services Global Criminal Compliance Handbook,” and dated March 2008, the document contains information for law enforcement on just what sorts of personal data Microsoft stores as part of its online services. Specific services covered include Microsoft Office Live, Xbox Live, Windows Live, Windows Live Messenger, Hotmail, MSN Groups, Windows Live ID and Windows Live Spaces.

The document, which you can also find here, (PDF) explains how each of those services works and what user data from those services Microsoft retains. It tells what data Microsoft is willing to give up to law enforcement, and under what circumstances.

Having read through the document twice today, nothing in its pages immediately makes me paranoid enough to hide underneath my bed with a tinfoil hat. That being said, Microsoft and law enforcement can glean a good deal of information from someone registered for some of these services, particularly Xbox Live, which apparently retains date of birth, name, e-mail address, physical address, telephone number, credit card data and Microsoft Passport.

Some highlights from the rest of the document:

Windows Live ID: Microsoft retains user-provided registration data, as well as the “last 10 Microsoft site and IP connection record combinations.”

Hotmail: Microsoft retains IP connection history records for 60 days.

Windows Live Messenger: Microsoft retains account registration data and some IP connection records, but does not log content of communications between users.

Windows Live Spaces: IP address and date/time of uploaded content is captured. Microsoft also captures commenters’ texts as well as IP address and date/time. those records are kept for 90 days.

MSN Groups: a 60-day limit on transactional records, including IP addresses and date/time of uploads.

Windows Live SkyDrive, Office Live: Actually, if you’re going to dive underneath a heavily defensible spot with your oh-so-fashionable tinfoil hat firmly in place, reading this section of the document is probably when that impulse will hit you. not because Microsoft throws open the proverbial doors here for law enforcement to pick through your Microsoft Office documents and file storage, but because there’s a decided lack of transparency about what records are retained and for how long.

The final section of the document handles the “legal process required for customer account information and content,” and starts off by referencing the ECPA (Electronic Communications Privacy Act). Here you’ll find exactly what you’d expect, such as “search warrants are required for contents” and information that can only be disclosed with a subpoena.

There’s a lot of paranoia lately about people’s information online (here I’m thinking about Google’s reported deal with the National Security Agency, a story that’s setting privacy advocates’ teeth gnashing), something that I bet will only increase as more and more services are ported to the cloud. I suggest reading Microsoft’s document, of course, and coming to your own conclusions about how much information you want to let out there. If nothing else, I’m really glad that Cryptome is back up.

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Microsoft drops Cryptome 'spy' document fight

Mar 01 2010

Posted by as Hide IP Address

The Cryptome site published the notice it got from Network Solutions notifying it of Microsoft’s withdrawal of its DMCA complaint.

(Credit:Cryptome.org)

Microsoft has withdrawn a copyright complaint against the Cryptome site over its publication of internal Microsoft guidelines for how the software giant can provide user data to law enforcement.

Cryptome, a watchdog site that publishes sensitive corporate and government documents, was taken offline after Microsoft complained Wednesday about its publishing the document “Microsoft Global Criminal Compliance Handbook,” also referred to as Microsoft’s Surveillance Guide, citing the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

Microsoft on Thursday morning notified Network Solutions that it was withdrawing its complaint and the domain registrar put the Cryptome site back online, said Network Solutions spokeswoman Susan Wade.

Links to the Microsoft guide were in the Cryptome site late on Thursday. the site also includes what it calls “lawful spy guides” from PayPal, MySpace, Facebook, Cox and Yahoo, among other companies.

a Microsoft spokesperson did not say why the company has reversed its stance.

“Like all service providers, Microsoft must respond to lawful requests from law enforcement agencies to provide information related to criminal investigations,” a Microsoft spokesperson had said in earlier a statement. “We take our responsibility to protect our customers privacy very seriously, so have specific guidelines that we use when responding to law enforcement requests. In this case, we did not ask that this site be taken down, only that Microsoft copyrighted content be removed. We are requesting to have the site restored and are no longer seeking the document’s removal.”

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