Redmond was asked to share data for a criminal investigation

May 26, 2015 09:15 GMT  ·  By

Microsoft is again fighting with authorities across the world in order to protect the privacy of its users, but the company is now set to appear in court after having refused to provide access to messages and calls of a specific user who was part of a criminal investigation.

This isn't the first time when the Redmond-based tech giant refuses to provide access to user data, but in the past, the company always complied with such requests when a warrant actually existed. It's not yet clear if the Belgium request was actually based on a warrant or not.

Skype as a mobile operator

But according to Reuters, a court in Mechelen claims that Microsoft must share customer data, including messages and calls made on Skype because telecom operators in the country are always required to do so.

Now, the biggest problem is whether Skype can be considered a mobile operator, so it's up to the judge to decide whether the company must indeed provide access to user data or not.

Back in 2013, Microsoft explained that Skype conversations are only shared once a legal government request is made, and “we only comply with orders for requests about specific accounts or identifiers,” which most likely means that only those involved in criminal investigations could be part of these requests.

“Microsoft remains committed to responding only to valid legal demands for specific user account information. We will not provide governments with direct or unfettered access to customer data or encryption keys,” the company said in a statement at that time.

Most likely, Microsoft would comply with the request if a warrant was involved, but the company hasn't yet offered a statement to explain this case in detail. We've contacted Microsoft for a word on this and will update the article when we get more information.