Advocates and activists write open letter to Skype amongst privacy concerns

A rag-tag group of privacy advocates, internet activists, journalists and organizations have banded together and have written an open letter of the alphabet to Skype, calling on the communications behemothic to "publicly certificate Skype's security and privacy practices."

The alphabetic character, which is addressed to Skype Division President Tony Bates, Microsoft Chief Privacy Officer Brendon Lynch, Microsoft Full general Counsel Brad Smith, says that the members of the group who authored it rely on Skype to communicate under circumstances where privacy and security are imperative and that it would be doing them a groovy service to know just what they can expect.

The authors have requested that Skype regularly release a Transparency Report that includes:

1. Quantitative data regarding the release of Skype user data to third parties, disaggregated by the country of origin of the request, including the number of requests made by governments, the type of data requested, the proportion of requests with which it complied — and the basis for rejecting those requests it does not comply with.
2. Specific details of all user data Microsoft and Skype currently collects, and retentiveness policies.
3. Skype'south best understanding of what user data 3rd-parties, including network providers or potential malicious attackers, may be able to intercept or retain.
4. Documentation regarding the electric current operational relationship between Skype with TOM Online in China and other third-party licensed users of Skype technology, including Skype'south understanding of the surveillance and censorship capabilities that users may exist subject to every bit a result of using these alternatives.
5. Skype's estimation of its responsibilities under the Communications Assistance for Police Enforcement Act (CALEA), its policies related to the disclosure of call metadata in response to subpoenas and National Security Letters (NSLs), and more generally, the policies and guidelines for employees followed when Skype receives and responds to requests for user data from law enforcement and intelligence agencies in the United States and elsewhere.

This isn't the first time that privacy concerns have been raised since Microsoft purchased Skype back in May 2022. Just final summer, information technology was thought that Microsoft had made changes to Skype's network that would allow police force enforcement agencies eavesdrop on conversations. Of course, Microsoft responded that that was non the case and that the changes were fabricated to allow for cool new features for users. And with Skype fix to become the heart of communication across Microsoft'southward platforms, the concerns will probable continue.

The senders of the open letter of the alphabet, as well as everyone else who uses Skype, have every reason to want to exist informed of only what level of privacy they should await. No 1 is telling Microsoft what they tin and cannot do, but simply asking them to lay it all out for their customers, and then that they can then make an informed decision on whether or non to use the service.

With the cyberspace and social media playing integral roles in everything from presidential elections to revolutions, these questions will continue to be raised. Let's hope nosotros can count on the providers of these services to be honest with their users.

Source: SkypeOpenLetter.com; Via: Reddit

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