On March 20, news coverage focused on a case in 2012 in which Microsoft investigators accessed the Hotmail content of a user who was trafficking in stolen Microsoft source code. In a blog post Friday, Microsoft General Counsel and Executive Vice President of Legal and Corporate Affairs Brad Smith outlined an important change to the company’s privacy practices.
“Effective immediately, if we receive information indicating that someone is using our services to traffic in stolen intellectual or physical property from Microsoft, we will not inspect a customer’s private content ourselves. Instead, we will refer the matter to law enforcement if further action is required,” Smith wrote.
In addition to changing company policy, in the coming months, this change will be incorporated in Microsoft’s customer terms of service, so that it’s clear to consumers and binding on Microsoft, Smith wrote.
For the rest of the story, head on over to Microsoft on the Issues.
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Jeff Meisner
Microsoft News Center Staff