Technology

Skype Responds to Online Wiretapping Accusations

Skype Says It Is Not Tracking Communication and Providing It to Authorities Outside of When Legally Required

Skype was purchased by Microsoft in May 2011 for $8.5 billion. (Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Earlier this week, TheBlaze reported that some were accusing Skype of making a recent change to technologies that could have created a backdoor to allow for authorities to listen in to online conversations. At the time, Skype denied this and has more recently come out with a firmer statement on security and protection of user privacy.

Mark Gillett, Skype’s chief development and operations officer, wrote on the company’s blog that first and foremost, Skype did not change the service’s architecture as a way to comply with requests from law enforcement. Reiterating what the company had said before about the changes, Gillett said they were to “provide the best possible product to our users” by improving reliability and speed.

He also said that policies were not changed to accommodate law enforcement requests either. Here‘s what Skype’s current privacy policy says with regard to authorities seeking user information:

Skype, Skype’s local partner, or the operator or company facilitating your communication may provide personal data, communications content and/or traffic data to an appropriate judicial, law enforcement or government authority lawfully requesting such information. Skype will provide all reasonable assistance and information to fulfil this request and you hereby consent to such disclosure.

Gillett says that information, including instant messages, are only provided when “legally required and technically feasible.”

Gillett also writes that the technology changes on the voice over IP service do not allow for recording or monitoring.

SlashGear gives this brief synopsis and analysis of Gillett’s blog post:

In short, Skype is doing just what the most recent suggestions indicated the company was – making chat conversations available when correctly requested from law enforcement, as long as those conversations took place within the last 30 days – but nothing more. Gillett’s comments are carefully phrased, of course, to take the emphasis off of Skype doing anything specifically and primarily in the name of law enforcement; even the rumors earlier this week suggested that the supernodes moving in-house to Microsoft’s servers had merely had the side-effect of making monitoring of IM chats more straightforward.

Read more details about Gillett’s clarifications and about the architecture updates Skype made here.

Comments (12)

  • MrObvious
    Posted on July 28, 2012 at 3:55pm

    As long as due process (warrants) is involved, services sharing demanded information with authorities, to prevent terror and solve crimes, is ok.

    Report Post »  
  • Guitar Master
    Posted on July 28, 2012 at 1:07pm

    zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
    From THE REPORTER
    zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

    Re: Commonsenseguy

    No, they don’t have hair, they are shaved !!!

    Report Post »  
  • TRILO
    Posted on July 28, 2012 at 9:43am

    What a bunch of hogwash from Skype. ALL social media, search engine companies and cell phone carriers are in bed with the devil and handing over your personal information. Not once in their statement did they specifically mention the word WARRANT, just the words of “properly requested”. Properly requested meaning their company search request or a Constitutionally guaranteed proper request???

    The NSA, FBI, CIA, DHS and the TSA are now actively spying on American citizens without warrants. Whistle-blowers from within several of these agencies have come forth and warned Americans.Yet most sheeple still spout their acceptance when they say “why should I care if I am not doing anything wrong”. We now live in a surveillance state and I do not see this being rolled back anytime soon.

    I am sure the government trolls are out searching on this sight too.

    Report Post » TRILO  
    • Meyvn
      Posted on July 28, 2012 at 11:09am

      You know they are!

      Report Post » Meyvn  
    • MrObvious
      Posted on July 28, 2012 at 3:53pm

      It is not like they have a choice.
      If they failed to comply the government would shut them down, then take whatever anyway.

      Report Post »  
  • turkey13
    Posted on July 28, 2012 at 9:19am

    These folks are just like Google, Explorer, Amazon – all others. they have your browsing history and sell to the highest bidder, allowing the government full axcess to operate in that Gray area. I just finished Brad Thor’s “Black List.” Lost much sleep last two nights – but based on fact – this is one scary book. I can’t wait for the movie if we survive this administration and it happens..

    ,

    Report Post »  
  • KICKILLEGALSOUT
    Posted on July 28, 2012 at 7:21am

    Of course it is being tapped now that Microsoft owns Skype. Microsoft will give access to any government, kind of like when they gave China their source code just so they would be able to enter the Chinese market. Microsoft doesn’t care about you, just your money.

    Report Post » KICKILLEGALSOUT  
  • historyguy48
    Posted on July 28, 2012 at 7:07am

    Comrades I’ll bet that dear old Papa Joe (Stalin) and the Leader (Hitler) along with the Chairman himself (Mao) are all rolling over in their graves with jealousy at what Dear Leader has available to him!
    I read somewhere back in the 80′s that America was going to be the new Russia, and Russians would have more freedoms than Americans. We are headed there fast, very fast, because of legislation written during the Clinton years and presented after 9/11.
    It’s making me wonder if our dear representative had more to do with 9/11 than it appears.

    Report Post » historyguy48  
  • commonsenseguy
    Posted on July 28, 2012 at 12:05am

    and if you believe this line of bull crap, i have a really beautiful piece of property that is about to be up for sale,if you would like to own this really beautiful piece of property which has the best view in the world on all sides and has the best mineral deposits in the world, the cleanest lakes rivers and streams, the best roads and the freest place in the world for now,i will be willing to let you have for a really great price. but you better hurry,because the communist are lining up to try and take it over,so hurry before it is to late.

    Report Post »  
  • kpeters59
    Posted on July 27, 2012 at 11:36pm

    Oh…They said we’re OK, so I guess we are then…

    Report Post »  
  • Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
    Posted on July 27, 2012 at 11:18pm

    I always wondered why Holder always would send me an email telling me to move out of the way, he couldn’t see the rest of the room. And there was always a clicking noise. (reference to those old 70′s phone tapping cop shows)

    Besides, it’s not skype wire tapping that bothers me, it’s the TSA “Dates” I go through at the airports. Come on, if they would just buy me a soda afterwards, I wouldn’t mind it so much. And a call afterwards, I hate when they say they are going to call, and they don’t, instead they just listen in.

    Report Post » Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra  
    • commonsenseguy
      Posted on July 28, 2012 at 12:07am

      @darmok, just don’t let them use their tongue on the first date.i hear that commies have hair on their tongues.

      Report Post »  

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