Any thoughts about Skype?

[Lamplighter]

Resurrecting an old thread for all you/us co-conspirators out there...

RedOrbit
Lee Rannals
7/24/12

Did Microsoft Give Skype The Ability To Snoop On Calls?

Microsoft is stuck in another swarm of controversy again,
with reports claiming that it now has the ability to spy on its users via Skype.<snip>

Skype has been known in the past to go on record saying it could not
conduct wiretaps due to its “peer-to-peer architecture and encryption techniques,”
which has effectively frustrated law enforcements who have wanted to use the service for their benefit.

However, since its May 2011 Microsoft purchase, the language Skype uses
to answer questions about whether its technology is used for wiretaps has changed.
Microsoft has switched some of the peer-to-peer network technology
to work on its dedicated Linux servers instead, making it easier to “wiretap” conversations.<snip>

However, a December 2009 Microsoft patent application describes
“recording agents” that legally intercept VoIP phone calls.
The patent application is said by Slashdot to be one of
Microsoft’s more elaborate and detailed patent papers.
“The document provides Microsoft’s idea about the nature,
positioning and feature set of recording agents that silently record
the communication between two or more parties,” Slashdot shows in a post.
This patent was granted to Microsoft a month after Skype was purchased, in June 2011.

Ryan Gallagher of Slate wrote that when he tried asking Microsoft whether
it could facilitate wiretap requests, it would not confirm or deny the question,
saying that Skype “co-operates with law enforcement agencies
as much as is legally and technically possible.”