Microsoft handed the government encryption keys for customer data

• Microsoft handed over encryption keys to the FBI for three laptops as part of an investigation into potential fraud involving the COVID unemployment assistance program in Guam.
• The FBI obtained these keys after serving Microsoft with a warrant last year, marking a rare instance where a major tech company has complied with such a request.
• This move is notable because most tech companies resist handing over encryption keys to authorities, as seen in Apple’s refusal to grant the FBI access to a phone used by San Bernardino shooters in 2016.
• Other major tech companies, including Google and Facebook, backed Apple in its battle against the FBI’s request, highlighting the tension between law enforcement and the tech industry on encryption issues.
• The incident raises questions about the balance between national security and individual privacy, particularly in the context of sensitive information like encrypted data stored on laptops.

The FBI went to Microsoft last year with a warrant, asking them to hand over keys to unlock encrypted data stored on three laptops as part of an investigation into potential fraud involving the COVID unemployment assistance program in Guam – and Microsoft complied.

Typically, companies resist handing over encryption keys to authorities. Most famously, Apple refused to grant the FBI access to a phone used by the San Bernardino shooters in 2016. The FBI eventually found a third-party to hack their way into the phone, but ultimately withdrew its case. Most of the major tech companies, including Google and Facebook backed Apple in its battle w …

Read the full story at The Verge.

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