Microsoft found itself in the middle of a controversy after it hunted down a company mole by accessing a user's emails.
Alex Kibkalo, the former employee who was charged with leaking trade secrets, was tracked by Microsoft after it had found emails from a blogger to whom Kibkalo had leaked the information.
Microsoft's actions resulted in an outcry from the public. Many concerns were raised by privacy advocates over the confidentiality of emails.
According to CNBC, Attorney and Director of civil liberties, Jennifer Granick of the Stanford Center for Internet and Society said, ''What blogger will use that service now?"
In its defense, Microsoft maintained that it was well within its legal limits when it accessed the blogger's account. It pointed out that the service terms of use signed by users gives Microsoft the authority to go through user content if the situation is warranted.
In a blog post indicating that it does not require permissions for searching through user content in exceptional circumstances, Microsoft's Deputy General Counsel & Vice President, Legal & Corporate Affairs John Frank said, "As part of the investigation, we undertook a limited review of this third party's Microsoft operated accounts. While Microsoft's terms of service make clear our permission for this type of review, this happens only in the most exceptional circumstances."
CNN Money quoted Ginger McCall, a director at the Electronic Privacy Information Center saying, "There are hidden terms that the users don't actually know are there. If the terms were out in the open, people would be horrified by them."
The news also cast doubts over the service terms and policies of other email service providers. The Guardian reported pointed out that all service provides including Yahoo, Google and even Apple have a clause in their service use conditions that states they have the right to access user data if a threat exists to the organization's intellectual property or propriety.
