Technology

Is Skype Helping Law Enforcement Spy on Conversations?

Some Question Whether Skype Is Helping Law Enforcement Wiretap Online Calls

(Image: Skype)

The hot issue on tech sites Monday was that Skype could be spying on your conversations, helping law enforcement should they have a reason to listen in.

According to Slate, Skype has in the past resisted laws in the United States that would require online chat companies to comply with creating a wiretapping “backdoor” to accommodate requests by law enforcement. This stance could have changed with a recent tech update, but Slate says Microsoft, which operates Skype, is not divulging that information.

CNET reports in the past Skype was “so heavily encrypted that the company went on the record about not being able to participate with wiretapping.“ Slate reported that Skype has been considered ”virtually impossible to intercept.”

But as WebProNews explains, in May Skype moved from peer-to-peer (P2P) network connections to its own Linux-based server. It calls the move “funny because Microsoft was using Linux servers instead of Windows Servers to host Skype.” It is this switch that could allow for the backdoor into wiretapping capabilities.

It was previously impossible due to the strong encryption and P2P networking that powered the service. The move to dedicated servers would definitely make it infinitely easier for law enforcement to wiretap Skype calls.

Slate points out that accusations against Skype first started by hackers who said the flip was made to allow for “lawful interception” of online calls. This notion was rejected by the company, but Slate probed further. Here‘s what Slate’s Ryan Gallagher found:

[...] when I repeatedly questioned the company on Wednesday whether it could currently facilitate wiretap requests, a clear answer was not forthcoming. Citing “company policy,” Skype PR man Chaim Haas wouldn’t confirm or deny, telling me only that the chat service “co-operates with law enforcement agencies as much as is legally and technically possible.”

So what has changed? In May 2011, Microsoft bought over Skype for $8.5 billion. One month later, in June, Microsoft was granted a patent for “legal intercept” technology designed to be used with VOIP services like Skype to “silently copy communication transmitted via the communication session.” Whether this technology was subsequently integrated into the Skype architecture, it’s impossible to say for sure. Perhaps Skype’s reason for refusing to answer the interception question is because Microsoft has instituted a stricter media strategy than back in 2008. Either way, looking at Skype’s privacy policy today, it’s clear the company is certainly in a position to hand over at least some user communications to authorities if requested.

Some Question Whether Skype Is Helping Law Enforcement Wiretap Online Calls

icrosoft CEO Steve Ballmer (L) and Skype CEO Tony Bates speak during a news conference about Microsoft's purchase of Skype on May 10, 2011. (Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

PC World points out that there could be flaws to Slate’s conclusions though:

The problem with that theory is a) Microsoft applied for this “Legal Intercept” patent two years before it acquired Skype, and 2) the patent doesn’t really say much about how the technology would actually work, let alone bust through Skype’s 256-bit AES end-to-end encryption.

PC World states original claims by hackers that the network technology changes made by Skype were to create a wiretapping backdoor has resulted in people “jumping right on the paranoia pony and riding it to the finish line.” It points out that Microsoft denied these claims at the time saying its network updates were to improve service and security.

Still, with wiretapping and online communication tracking finding its way into the media many times of late, it‘s not just that Skype could be providing law enforcement with user communications that’s disconcerting. As Slate puts it, “it’s that Skype isn’t being candid about the status of its relationship with law enforcement.” PC World echos this sentiment saying Microsoft should consider issuing transparency reports, like Google, and also publish guidelines for how user information could be obtained by authorities following the proper legal channels.

(H/T: Gizmodo)

Comments (14)

  • bobbknight
    Posted on July 26, 2012 at 12:02am

    Skype is no longer Skype it is Microsoft Skype, and you can bet your a$$ that Microsoft is changing it to allow governments who ask to have access to it’s calls.
    GNU/PGP voice or another open source program is the way to go.

    Report Post »  
  • robjonesky
    Posted on July 25, 2012 at 7:34am

    This is the good thing about technology in this generation, because of this gadgets we can easily find evidences through the use of Skype and CCTV cameras as well. :) aswdlaw.com/

    Report Post »  
  • One of the Quiet Ones
    Posted on July 24, 2012 at 10:12pm

    Do the same regulations for traditional land line telephone calls apply to all these other forms of telecommunication. If it doesn’t that may explain why ATT is pushing Uverse.

    Report Post »  
  • ericgt
    Posted on July 24, 2012 at 6:18pm

    Where is the article that goes with the title?

    what is with the ignorate Microsoft hate?

    Report Post »  
  • Wat Tyler
    Posted on July 24, 2012 at 12:17pm

    Microsoft = Root of Orwellian digital evils.

    Bill Gates = Knee jerk PC jellyfish with too money.

    Report Post » Wat Tyler  
  • YourVoiceMatters
    Posted on July 24, 2012 at 10:56am

    I thought about this instantly when i heard microsoft had acquired skype
    i dont do anything to be afraid of but
    with this regime how long will it be before they will consider what you do as wrong
    just saying wrong doing has taken on a whole new meaning after 2008
    as far as i am concerned…i liked the thought that my calls were encrypted
    i am against snooping on me i police myself
    but then again the muslims use skype all the time
    maybe this is the real reason for the acquisition…

    Report Post »  
    • bob_mall
      Posted on July 25, 2012 at 12:03pm

      let’s suppose that your statement is correct (although it is racist in nature) that Muslims, Jews, or groups that you don’t “favor”, use skype for communication, is that mean that it is okay for governments to spy on them? is it okay for your to give up your privacy right for that false assumption? It is sad that we America spent US treasure and blood to fight an Iraq war to spread Democracy and freedom, but yet, people like you are willing to throw all that away by saying, that Iraqis, being Muslims are not entitled to privacy, freedom, or rights.

      Report Post »  
  • Rothbardian_in_the_Cleve
    Posted on July 24, 2012 at 10:38am

    If you don’t have anything to hide, then you shouldn’t care. (Eye Roll)

    Report Post » Rothbardian_in_the_Cleve  
  • Minnaloushe
    Posted on July 24, 2012 at 10:05am

    My dilemma is that I want my darn privacy, but I also don‘t want to waste law enforcement’s time and resources investigating me just because I start encrypting my communications only for them to find out after much number-crunching that I was just calling to check on granny’s gall bladder. Thoughts?

    Report Post »  
  • sawbuck
    Posted on July 24, 2012 at 9:55am

    skype is a great tool for keeping in contact with loved ones that are far from home.. That in the old days.. It use to be just a phone call if you were lucky.. or the ‘occasional letter’ that ironically I kind of ‘miss ‘..I highly recommend it.. For people that have sons and daughters stationed or deployed abroad …With all things …Discretion is the key..

    Report Post » sawbuck  
  • Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
    Posted on July 24, 2012 at 9:37am

    Here is the way I see it – if a lawful court order has been issued, then the company needs to follow the order, but otherwise, the matter is of illegal spying by law agencies and the goverment, of course with Obama who does not care about the laws, that would be no suprise to anyone.

    Report Post » Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}  

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