An internal Microsoft document has been leaked to the Internet that’s causing a bit of a stir. The Global Criminal Compliance Handbook informs police and intelligence services just what sorts of information Microsoft collects on its users, and how the cops can access that information:
What is gathered and available about you is quite comprehensive, including your emails, detailed information about when you sign in and use the services, credit card information, and so on.
At first Microsoft tried to halt release of the data for copyright reasons, but has withdrawn that effort. But they’ve since withdrawn the request (the zipped document is available here).
People in IT have long known that all sorts of extremely personal information is available online. But it’s not often to have that belief confirmed in such a public way. Contents of emails, Messenger chats, credit card information, and more can be accessed.
It will be interesting to see if this causes bad press for Microsoft, or if it will fail to register among the public.