Latest Snowden leak: how Microsoft handed the NSA access to encrypted messages

[Catherina]

Latest Snowden leak: Microsoft gave NSA access to broken Outlook encryption & Skype data for video calls
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Revealed: how Microsoft handed the NSA access to encrypted messages

• Secret files show scale of Silicon Valley co-operation on Prism
• Outlook.com encryption unlocked even before official launch
• Skype worked to enable Prism collection of video calls
• Company says it is legally compelled to comply

Glenn Greenwald, Ewen MacAskill, Laura Poitras, Spencer Ackerman and Dominic Rushe
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 11 July 2013 18.53 BST


Skype worked with intelligence agencies last year to allow Prism to collect video and audio conversations. Photograph: Patrick Sinkel/AP

Microsoft has collaborated closely with US intelligence services to allow users' communications to be intercepted, including helping the National Security Agency to circumvent the company's own encryption, according to top-secret documents obtained by the Guardian.

The files provided by Edward Snowden illustrate the scale of co-operation between Silicon Valley and the intelligence agencies over the last three years. They also shed new light on the workings of the top-secret Prism program, which was disclosed by the Guardian and the Washington Post last month.

The documents show that:

• Microsoft helped the NSA to circumvent its encryption to address concerns that the agency would be unable to intercept web chats on the new Outlook.com portal;

• The agency already had pre-encryption stage access to email on Outlook.com, including Hotmail;

• The company worked with the FBI this year to allow the NSA easier access via Prism to its cloud storage service SkyDrive, which now has more than 250 million users worldwide;

• Microsoft also worked with the FBI's Data Intercept Unit to "understand" potential issues with a feature in Outlook.com that allows users to create email aliases;

• Skype, which was bought by Microsoft in October 2011, worked with intelligence agencies last year to allow Prism to collect video of conversations as well as audio;

• Material collected through Prism is routinely shared with the FBI and CIA, with one NSA document describing the program as a "team sport".

The latest NSA revelations further expose the tensions between Silicon Valley and the Obama administration. All the major tech firms are lobbying the government to allow them to disclose more fully the extent and nature of their co-operation with the NSA to meet their customers' privacy concerns. Privately, tech executives are at pains to distance themselves from claims of collaboration and teamwork given by the NSA documents, and insist the process is driven by legal compulsion.

In a statement, Microsoft said: "When we upgrade or update products we aren't absolved from the need to comply with existing or future lawful demands." The company reiterated its argument that it provides customer data "only in response to government demands and we only ever comply with orders for requests about specific accounts or identifiers".

...

Please read the whole article at http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jul/11/microsoft-nsa-collaboration-user-data?CMP=twt_gu

[byeya]

1. Nice photo of Rich people celebrating the continuation of their dominance over the poors and

maybe sharing hints on foreign labor to exploit and countries to pollute.

[Catherina]

2. Monitoring of Skype video by NSA, FBI, CIA has roughly tripled in the last year

Well, if that's not just dandy.

I removed the picture because the article is more about Microsoft, but since you liked it, I put it back in. I swiped it from an Octafish post.

[byeya]

8. Thanks! It enriches my life to see the wealthy in a celebratory mood. Enriches in

the non dollars and cents meaning that is.

[Catherina]

14. Mine too. All the profits they make

Material collected through Prism is routinely shared with the FBI and CIA, with one NSA document describing the program as a "team sport".

Well. I think it's clear which team we're NOT on.

Edit/ Well most of us at least.

[Hydra]

3. But remember kids

It's just metadata!

[Catherina]

11. And even that is untrue. Make that a double-puke

And a triple puke for this

[snooper2]

4. Good, that way they can get correct data on the 117K targets

That Snowy leaked...

Next!

[randome]

5. So is any of this access gained by way of, what is that called, oh yeah, a warrant?

Funny the article only mentions warrants in passing and then stating that they are not needed if the target is overseas. So either the processes described apply only to foreign individuals or, if not, then a warrant is likely sought.

But of course the article doesn't give the full story of when a warrant is required. They only highlight the parts where a warrant is not required (legally not required) and then hope that we'll infer that the NSA is basically spying on everyone.

The usual one-sided approach to the Guardian stories.

[hr][font color="blue"][center]Birds are territorial creatures.
The lyrics to the songbird's melodious trill go something like this:
"Stay out of my territory or I'll PECK YOUR GODDAMNED EYES OUT!"[/center][/font][hr]

[allin99]

9. I look forward to the NYTimes version, they're not perfect...

but Gaurdian is clearly not only biased but giving bits and pieces for effect. And it's really annoying.

[randome]

12. You'd think they would ask that basic question, right?

"Is a warrant required to gather data for someone within the United States?"

We already know a warrant is not required for someone outside the United States.

And why would any technology firm NOT allow the NSA, with a legal warrant, to unencrypt email? How does the Guardian think child porn rings are uncovered? Perhaps they simply make lucky guesses?

[hr][font color="blue"][center]Birds are territorial creatures.
The lyrics to the songbird's melodious trill go something like this:
"Stay out of my territory or I'll PECK YOUR GODDAMNED EYES OUT!"[/center][/font][hr]

[ProSense]

6. Greenwald doesn't have anything.

All he's doing at this point is reporting process. For all his hype about more information to come this is pretty pathetic.

<...>

But internal NSA newsletters, marked top secret, suggest the co-operation between the intelligence community and the companies is deep and ongoing.

The latest documents come from the NSA's Special Source Operations (SSO) division, described by Snowden as the "crown jewel" of the agency. It is responsible for all programs aimed at US communications systems through corporate partnerships such as Prism.

The files show that the NSA became concerned about the interception of encrypted chats on Microsoft's Outlook.com portal from the moment the company began testing the service in July last year.

Within five months, the documents explain, Microsoft and the FBI had come up with a solution that allowed the NSA to circumvent encryption on Outlook.com chats

<...>

In its statement to the Guardian, Microsoft said:

We have clear principles which guide the response across our entire company to government demands for customer information for both law enforcement and national security issues. First, we take our commitments to our customers and to compliance with applicable law very seriously, so we provide customer data only in response to legal processes.

Second, our compliance team examines all demands very closely, and we reject them if we believe they aren't valid. Third, we only ever comply with orders about specific accounts or identifiers, and we would not respond to the kind of blanket orders discussed in the press over the past few weeks, as the volumes documented in our most recent disclosure clearly illustrate.

Finally when we upgrade or update products legal obligations may in some circumstances require that we maintain the ability to provide information in response to a law enforcement or national security request. There are aspects of this debate that we wish we were able to discuss more freely. That's why we've argued for additional transparency that would help everyone understand and debate these important issues.

<...>

It's all process, like his recent revelations.

Here's what the Snowden videos did
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023203719

[WillyT]

7. I Gotta Start Using Better Search Terms...

Just posted the same thing after "making sure" it wasn't already posted.





& Rec !!!

[byeya]

10. That's OK. So nice you had to share it twice!

[Catherina]

13. No worries, this can't be seen enough!

It probably didn't work because Google hadn't indexed it yet.