Microsoft Allowed to Sue U.S. Government Over E-mail Surveillance
- Federal judge allows company’s free-speech claims to go ahead
- Tech firm loses argument snooping is unlawful property seizure
A Microsoft Corp. store in Bellevue, Washington, on Jan. 26.
Photographer: David Ryder/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Microsoft Corp. persuaded a judge not to let the U.S. government out of a lawsuit alleging the company’s free-speech rights are violated by a law that blocks it from alerting users to the clandestine interception of their e-mails.
The judge said Microsoft has at least made a plausible argument that federal law muzzles its right to speak about government investigations, while not ruling on the merits of the case.