Microsoft handed the government encryption keys for customer data
Microsoft handed the government encryption keys for customer data
The FBI went to Microsoft last year with a warrant, asking them to hand over keys to unlock encrypted data stored on three laptops as part of an investigation into potential fraud involving the COVID unemployment assistance program in Guam – and Microsoft complied.
Typically, companies resist handing over encryption keys to authorities. Most famously, Apple refused to grant the FBI access to a phone used by the San Bernardino shooters in 2016. The FBI eventually found a third-party to hack their way into the phone, but ultimately withdrew its case. Most of the major tech companies, including Google and Facebook backed Apple in its battle w …