Nut-job Conspiracy Theory Ping!
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Posted on 03/23/2014 9:43:29 AM PDT by markomalley
Secret invoices from Microsoft to the FBI obtained via hacks by the Syrian Electronic Army reveal the Silicon Valley giant charges a secret division of the bureau for legal access to users’ information.
The army has become notorious for infiltrating the networks and social media accounts of western companies and media outlets in recent years, and submitted the documents to The Daily Dot for analysis. Its most recent Microsoft hack took place in January, when the organization seized Microsoft’s Twitter and email accounts, reportedly to distract employees while achieving its “main mission.”
Emails and invoices between the FBI’s Digital Intercept Technology Unit and Microsoft’s Global Criminal Compliance team show a charge between $50 and $200 for access to customer information, with totals stretching into the hundreds of thousands of dollars – the most recent from November 2013 topping out at $281,000.
A specialist cited by the Dot confirmed the authenticity of the documents, but neither Microsoft nor the FBI would confirm or deny their contents.
“Regarding law enforcement requests, there’s nothing unusual here,” a Microsoft spokesperson said in a Verge report. “Under U.S. law, companies can seek reimbursement for costs associated with complying with valid legal orders for customer data. We attempt to recover some of the costs associated with any such orders.”
Microsoft apparently processes hundreds of these requests monthly in a process that appears to be just another order of business – a stark contrast from its vehement public outcries against bulk National Security Agency surveillance programs that collect similar user data.
During a Wednesday hearing, NSA’s chief legal counsel revealed tech giants like Microsoft were fully aware of and complied with the agency’s sweeping Internet surveillance PRISM program – a claim Microsoft, along with numerous other companies have denied since the leaks began last summer.
Microsoft clearly has no qualms with using its vast accumulation of personal customer data to turn an extra profit — the company advertised a new campaign at CPAC two weeks ago offering to use customer data to sell highly targeted political ads on Xbox Live.
The Syrian Electronic Army’s latest leaks seem to imply the only separation between Microsoft’s public stance and private acquiesence appears to be a paycheck.
It’s growth area—no wonder MSFT stocks are at record highs!
“there’s nothing unusual here”
The gov pays MS well, with our money, to have easy access to information that they have no right to.
You still think we live in the land of the free?
MSFT, Google, Yahoo, et al.
“Your private information is safe with us. We will never give, sell or rent your information to any third party.”
Uh-huh.
Run away.
Please add social networking, in all its nefarious forms, to my previous post.
“there’s nothing unusual here”
I caught that. Situation normal, go about your regular business.
So what is Gates favorite political party?
It is probably a safe bet that over 99.99% of this bs started after Herr Obozo and his thugs were sworn in.
Is anyone dumb enough to believe that Google, Apple, Comcast, Yahoo, AT&T, Verizon and others handling our personal data aren’t in the same line getting paid like MS?
“Please add social networking, in all its nefarious forms, to my previous post.”
One of the funniest and yet scariest lines in the tv show, “Persons of Interest”, happened when the developer of the vast computer program and computers to monitor all we say, send or do, commented along these lines, “It was often hard to get personal data from people until the social networks came on line. Now, we get too much personal data, volunteered by the social net work users.”
Actually, pretty sure you've got a ready made shareholder lawsuit sitting there, because any of those companies who AREN'T getting paid for the data is doing a disservice to shareholders, and I'll wager these payments aren't being openly identified on income sheets.
Of course, the level of my legal knowledge of such things is minimal. But spread that even further - credit card companies, banks, instant loan stores, precious metal sellers, forums... All of those entities likely have had compliance requests, and likely never reported any compensation for those requests as income to shareholders, or failed to request compensation.
Thanks markomalley.
“Actually, pretty sure you’ve got a ready made shareholder lawsuit sitting there, because any of those companies who AREN’T getting paid for the data is doing a disservice to shareholders, and I’ll wager these payments aren’t being openly identified on income sheets.
Of course, the level of my legal knowledge of such things is minimal. But spread that even further - credit card companies, banks, instant loan stores, precious metal sellers, forums... All of those entities likely have had compliance requests, and likely never reported any compensation for those requests as income to shareholders, or failed to request compensation.”
You are exactly on target.
This is data mining by and for government use, not for some business.
Just waiting for StartMail to go online.
https://beta.startmail.com/
StartMail Delivers Early Christmas Present to Lucky Beta Testers
Rollout of state-of-the-art private email service begins just in time for the holidays.
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2013/12/prweb11426011.htm
Amsterdam (PRWEB) December 17, 2013
StartMail, the privacy-friendly email service from the makers of StartPage.com, has delivered beta test accounts to the first wave of more than 50,000 enrolled volunteer testers. Because of the overwhelming interest in testing the new service, the company will need several months to roll out the additional beta test accounts.
Privacy and security expert Dr. Katherine Albrecht attributes the high interest in StartMail to Edward Snowden’s revelations of government snooping on the electronic communications of law-abiding citizens.
“Consumers are eager to find alternatives to email and other services that snoop on them and make their lives an open book,” said Albrecht. “What’s more, people don’t like the idea that big name free email services routinely scan their email in order to profile them and serve up advertising.”
Albrecht, who helped create StartMail.com, as well as the world’s most private search engine, StartPage.com, says that StartMail is not only private and secure—it’s easy to use.
“StartMail is so simple to use, it’s easy to forget there is powerful encryption at work behind the scenes,” she said. “In the past, PGP encryption has been intimidating for the average user. But now, StartMail’s simple one-click PGP encryption makes this protection available to everyone, even a beginner.”
PGP refers to Pretty Good Privacy, a program used to encrypt and decrypt email. This type of encryption is considered the gold standard when it comes to protecting email communications.
While only the first wave of beta testers will find StartMail under their trees this holiday season, Albrecht promises that the service will be worth the wait. Signup for beta testing is closed, but the company will begin issuing paid StartMail accounts on a first-come, first-served basis in the first half of 2014.
Anyone interested in reserving a paid account can sign up at http://www.StartMail.com, which also features a brief overview video of the service.
About StartPage and StartMail
StartPage is an award-winning free search engine with an industry-leading privacy policy. StartPage and its sister Ixquick are the only search engines that are third-party certified and fully anonymous. They are also the only search engines to offer a free proxy service, and consistently outscore other websites on security measures. For more information, please see StartPage.com or Ixquick.com.
StartMail.com is the new private email service based in Europe. It simplifies PGP encryption and makes state-of-the-art privacy protection easy and available to everyone. More than 50,000 people have already signed up to beta test StartMail, which is rolling out this winter.
the only way to stop this crap is to start a “I AM SPARTACUS” campaign.
Basically, every normal citizen needs to start “chain emails” where you say you are a terrorist, send the email and each recipient needs to pass it on to 10 other people.
Make the system explode.
OK. You go first.
You may also check out:
confidesk
runbox
neomailbox
All in other countries. All encrypted.
“Your private information is safe with us. We will never give, sell or rent your information to any third party.”
I’ve actually seen “privacy statements” that stated that they can give or sell your information to anyone at any time at any price.
Well, at least they were honest.
Nut-job Conspiracy Theory Ping!
To get onto The Nut-job Conspiracy Theory Ping List you must threaten to report me to the Mods if I don't add you to the list...
Add to that list your utilities, your city/county tax office, state vehicle registration and credit reporting companies. All those entities put your info on their computers which can be either paid for or spooked on by Big Brother.
Now you know what all those MS updates are really for.
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