Microsoft’s lawsuit against U.S. warrant secrecy provisions is the fourth time the Redmond company has publicly sued the federal government since 2013, part of a high-profile campaign advocating for modern cyberspace privacy rules that reflect physical-world values.
Microsoft’s lawsuit against U.S. warrant secrecy provisions is the fourth time the Redmond company has sued the federal government since 2013, part of a high-profile campaign advocating for modern cyberspace privacy rules that reflect physical-world values.
The software maker has plenty of company in a technology industry keen to be seen resisting government data demands after Edward Snowden’s disclosures rattled trust in the internet:
• Microsoft, Google and other technology giants separately sued the government in 2013 for the right to disclose more data on the secret court orders they receive for customer data. The group reached a settlement in early 2014 permitting the release of a broad outline of the requests.
• Twitter went a step further, suing the government for the right to reveal more specifics about secret requests.
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• In 2013, Microsoft challenged a warrant seeking a customer’s data held in Ireland. The company said U.S. prosecutors had exceeded their authority and should ask the Irish government instead. Microsoft’s appeal is pending.
• In February, Apple challenged an order that it help the FBI break into an encrypted iPhone. The FBI dropped the case after finding a way to access the phone without Apple’s help, but is still demanding the company’s aid in other cases. .