Microsoft changes policies for snooping on Outlook.com accounts

Microsoft revealed earlier this week that the company scanned a blogger’s Hotmail account to track down a Windows 8 leaker. An ex-Microsoft employee, who allegedly leaked confidential copies of Windows 8 and anti-piracy software, was subsequently arrested and charged after Microsoft identified the individual from a search of a French blogger’s Hotmail account. Microsoft used a clause in the company’s terms of service for Outlook.com to allow it to scan the account. The move has triggered widespread debate over the practice, and Microsoft tells The Verge that it’s planning to alter its policies in future.

While courts don’t issue orders to authorize a company to search its own data, Microsoft’s John Frank, VP and deputy...

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