Microsoft vs. US Government

BBC News covers an article called; Microsoft sues US government over secret data requests. In the first sentence Dave Lee gets right to the point of his article. Microsoft is suing the government because it is against the law to invade people's privacy. The government asked Microsoft to release data without the knowledge of the public. Microsoft felt that it was their obligation to let their clients know what was going on.

Because of the contracts and court requirements, Microsoft was forced to keep things secret and so they are fighting back by making this issue known. Microsoft felt that the whole secrecy things was a way for the government to stretch their use of power and felt that the rights of the people were being exploited.

Mr. Brad Smith the President and Chief Legal Officer of Microsoft said in a blog post, "We believe that with rare exceptions consumers and businesses have a right to know when the government accesses their emails or records. Yet it’s becoming routine for the U.S. government to issue orders that require email providers to keep these types of legal demands secret. We believe that this goes too far and we are asking the courts to address the situation."

Everything that Mr. Smith says in his blog post is highlighted in the BBC article by Lee. Lee breaks down the facts of the infringement on our rights and leads the article with his stand on the issue. Lee brings in the facts such as the Electronic Communications Act. This is a very important issue that cannot be taken lightly. Lee does an excellent job bringing in additional credible sources to introduce their points and grounds for the issue.