US EditionMicrosoft Handed Encryption Keys to the FBI—Here’s Why It Could Matter to You
- On February 10, 2025, Microsoft provided BitLocker recovery keys to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, allowing access to data on three seized laptops.
- The request stems from a federal investigation into a fraud ring tied to the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program in Guam, with investigators seeking keys for three computers seized during an FBI raid of Charissa Tenorio's business.
- Cloud-Backed recovery keys allow Microsoft to comply with roughly 20 requests per year, as BitLocker comes enabled by default on many Windows PCs but local-only keys cannot be retrieved.
- Experts including Matthew Green raised concerns that Microsoft’s confirmation to Forbes about providing keys when legally required sets a `dangerous precedent`, alarming the cybersecurity community and privacy advocates, including Senator Ron Wyden, who called it `irresponsible`.
- Microsoft says it must produce keys when legally required and customers can choose local or Microsoft’s cloud key storage; historically, major tech companies resisted such access, including Apple’s 2016 refusal.
22 Articles
22 Articles
The FBI filed a court order to access the keys that would be used to decipher the contents of laptops under investigation.
Microsoft's BitLocker encryption comes with a catch: the keys may be on Microsoft's servers
Forbes reports that Microsoft complied with an FBI request for decryption keys to a suspect's personal laptops last year. While the company said it cannot fulfill every request, the case suggests that Windows devices are less private than those with stricter encryption policies, such as iPhones.Read Entire Article
Microsoft Hands Over BitLocker Encryption Keys to FBI To Unlock Data in Guam Fraud Investigation; Tech Giant Faces Criticism Over User Privacy | 📲 LatestLY
Microsoft confirmed it can supply BitLocker recovery keys to law enforcement under valid warrants, revealed after an FBI probe in Guam unlocked three laptops tied to alleged Covid aid fraud. Critics warn cloud-stored keys undermine privacy, contrasting rivals like Apple and Meta that lack access to users’ encryption keys entirely themselves. 📲 Microsoft Hands Over BitLocker Encryption Keys to FBI To Unlock Data in Guam Fraud Investigation; Tech…
Microsoft handed the government encryption keys for customer data
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. T…
Microsoft gave the FBI BitLocker encryption keys to unlock laptops
Microsoft provided the FBI with BitLocker encryption recovery keys following a warrant request, allowing federal agents to decrypt hard drives belonging to suspects in an alleged fraud investigation in Guam, reports TechCrunch. BitLocker is Windows' full-disk encryption feature. Recovery keys allow authorized users to access encrypted drives when standard authentication methods fail. — Read the rest The post Microsoft gave the FBI BitLocker encr…
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