Microsoft Gave Data on Charlie Hebdo Probe to FBI in 45 Minutes
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Microsoft Corp. handed the FBI data linked to the Charlie Hebdo probe within an hour of being asked, showing that the system can work and that extra snooping should only happen if strictly regulated, the company’s top lawyer said.
“Just two weeks ago, the French Government sought the content of e-mails from two customer accounts held by Microsoft when it was in the midst of pursuing the Charlie Hebdo suspects,” Brad Smith, the company’s general counsel, said in a speech in Brussels today. Microsoft was able to conclude the request from the Federal Bureau of Investigation “was proper, pull the e-mail content in question, and deliver it to the FBI in New York, all in 45 minutes.”