back to article Microsoft swats away FBI request for Office 365 subscriber data

Microsoft has successfully challenged a secret letter from the Federal Bureau of Investigation ordering it to turn over data from one of its Office 365 customers, court documents made public on Thursday have revealed. The documents, which remained secret until they were unsealed by the US District Court in Seattle on Wednesday …

COMMENTS

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  1. Chad H.

    >>> the FBI decided to withdraw the letter. In other words, it dropped the matter voluntarily....That might sound like an acceptable outcome.

    No. Because it means they're still pulling these stunts.

    1. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge
      Big Brother

      Upstanding citizens wanting to bring home a good state-provide paycheck.

      Fascism and Bureaucracies get larger until they seamlessly merge.

      It has happened before. It is happening again.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      "the FBI obtained the requested information through lawful means from a third party"

      "We paid some Chinese hackers to get the data and sling it onto PasteBin for us to stumble across."

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      you'd never see this in the news, if it wasn't MS showing off

      First of all, I'd call this news bit manufactured to make people think we're not as far into an Orwellian future as we really are.

      Second, its Microsoft needing to shore up its crappy reputation.

      Since when would upper layers of the pyramid fight each other? Microsoft protecting its corporate cronies sounds plausible, but is utterly unneccesary: Its one big club and the likes of NSA, CIA, FBI generally work at their behest.

      Sure, if someone leans too far out of the window, they might get slapped or shot down and then publicized to keep up appearances.

      .

      Will this get more people to buy into subscription software? I hope not. Might as well ask the NSA to back up your data.

  2. Pet Peeve

    Duh, they withdrew the case because they don't want a precedent-setting judgement ruling the whole thing unconstitutional.

    They can keep trying NSLs thinking that most people will roll over, and backing off when they don't, but then more people will fight them and they're doomed anyway. Just give this shit up, FBI.

    1. Phil W

      I came to comments to post pretty much exactly this.

      Unfortunately now that they exist it will probably be near impossible to get NSLs actually removed from law but that doesn't mean they can't be fought and either beaten or their issuers forced to back off at every attempt as in this case.

      Being a Brit my feelings towards the USA are wide and varied (and often negative) but one thing you do have to love is the written constitution that largely supersedes and outweighs any other laws, and due to the reverence in which it is held by the nation, is rather difficult to amend protections out of.

    2. nexsphil

      True

      Ruling something unconstitutional would surely prohibit that activity forever. *cough*

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Good on Microsoft, but now it's time to sell your shares. Watch as their contracts with the US government mysteriously dry up.

  4. elDog

    Believe me - would I ever lie to you?

    Said the NSA

    Said the M$

    1. dogged

      Re: Believe me - would I ever lie to you?

      Unless I've read it wrong, the MS lawyer's commentary is on papers unsealed by a court. So you can always go look at those papers and see who's lying, if it suits you to do so.

  5. Sanctimonious Prick
    Big Brother

    So Now They Start To Share Data - NSA/FBI

    "the FBI obtained the requested information through lawful means from a third party,"

    Rare example of a three letter agency helping another three letter agency in the good 'ol U.S. of A.

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    FBI sent Microsoft NSL requesting "information" about unnamed enterprise customer.

    Ah, this kind of news should do some good for sales of the good ol'... ClougFog.... Pity about the rest of us though...

  7. RISC OS

    ...meanwhile in other news

    microsoft announces a "vulnerability" has been found that allowed those with the right keys access to windows live data... microsoft is working on a patch...

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Oh my sides

    MS refuses access to FBI, stop! I can't take anymore, Ha! for a second there I thought you were serious, lol, you guys.

    Nice one.

  9. cortland

    It is apparently not a crime to SAY one is subject fo an NSL unless he's actually gotten one.

    I foresee a popular theme for webtags and avatars: "I got an NSL."

    When it goes away everyone will know what happened.

  10. Hans 1
    Joke

    Why did they send the letter to MS and not NSA ?

    Was the NSA too busy installing new hard drives ?

  11. Silviu C.

    Moral of the story is that if you're someone with deep pockets and a "big" client of theirs, MS will try to challenge the NSLs.

    Let us know when you do the same thing for the "unwashed" Microsoft.

    But yeah, it's probably good news for the companies... so it's not all bad, I guess.

    1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

      For individuals they will spy on your data without a warrant and prosecute you - as they did wiyth the hotmail account of someone who was selling stolen license keys

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Office

    Any terrorist using Office 365 deserves to be caught

    1. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge
      Trollface

      Re: Office

      Linux for Laden?

      1. Gordon 10
        Trollface

        Re: Office

        bombuntu

      2. dogged
        Meh

        Re: Office

        We get a whole lot of Osama bin Linux jihadis around here.

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Black Helicopters

    Uneven ground

    Stuff the individuals, companies get the protection

    "... Smith says Microsoft is willing to go to bat in the courts for its "business and government" customers – and he narrows that down even further later in his post... "

    Individuals and the unwashed masses could be committing terrible crimes, threatening and exploiting their way through their lives and causing untold harm, pain and sorrow. Companies would never do something like that, this is why they get protection.

  14. D 13
    Black Helicopters

    If only there was a way I could store office documents on a disk drive physically in my possession that only I have access to, then I wouldn't have to put all my incriminating documents and photos onto cloud servers.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Joke

      That ludicrous idea will never catch on

  15. Inachu

    FBI= I see you have a legal version of office for the cloud edition!

    Customer=Uuuhh yeah so why are you harassing me? GTFO!

  16. Longrod_von_Hugendong
    Stop

    Yes, we are not allowing this!!!

    But we are allowing the other ones you dont see... don't allow M$BS to cloud your minds. M$ will fold quicker than a fat bloke punched in the stomach.

  17. RISC OS

    Wouldn't it have been easier for the FBI...

    ...just to ask the NSA for the info?

  18. Kevin McMurtrie Silver badge

    Withdrawing the NSL

    The cracked the password and found it was !BigCa$shLobby1st!

  19. sisk

    but it's not clear why the FBI chose to withdraw its NSL

    I think it's perfectly clear. They know the things aren't legal and don't want a judge saying so and setting a precedent.

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