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Microsoft gave FBI set of BitLocker encryption keys to unlock suspects' laptops

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Re: Microsoft gave FBI set of BitLocker encryption keys to unlock suspects' laptops

#11

Post by SoftTalker »

londons_explore wrote: post #3

> The case involved several people suspected of fraud related to the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program If it were preventing a mass murder I might feel differently... But this is protecting the money supply (and indirectly the governments control). Not a reason to violate privacy IMO, especially when at the time this was done these people were only suspected of fraud, not convicted.

They had a warrant. That's enough. Nobody at Microsoft is going to be willing to go to jail for contempt to protect fraudsters grifting off of the public taxpayer. Would you?

Re: Microsoft gave FBI set of BitLocker encryption keys to unlock suspects' laptops

#12

Post by bigyabai »

whalesalad wrote: post #9
Aurornis wrote: post #5

FYI BitLocker is on by default in Windows 11. The defaults will also upload the BitLocker key to a Microsoft Account if available. This is why the FBI can compel Microsoft to provide the keys. It's possible, perhaps even likely, that the suspect didn't even know they had an encrypted laptop. Journalists love the "Microsoft gave " framing because it makes Microsoft sound like they're handing these out because they lik…

Any power users should avoid Windows entirely.

If by "power user" you mean "enemy of the state", there's a lot of software you'd be better-off avoiding.

Re: Microsoft gave FBI set of BitLocker encryption keys to unlock suspects' laptops

#13

Post by Aurornis »

londons_explore wrote: post #3

> The case involved several people suspected of fraud related to the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program If it were preventing a mass murder I might feel differently... But this is protecting the money supply (and indirectly the governments control). Not a reason to violate privacy IMO, especially when at the time this was done these people were only suspected of fraud, not convicted.

> Not a reason to violate privacy IMO, especially when at the time this was done these people were only suspected of fraud, not convicted.

Well you can't really wait until the conviction to collect evidence in a criminal trial.

There are several stages that law enforcement must go through to get a warrant like this. The police didn't literally phone up Microsoft and ask for the keys to someone's laptop on a hunch. They had to have already confiscated the laptop, which means they had to have collected enough early evidence to prove suspicion and get a judge to sign off and so on.

Re: Microsoft gave FBI set of BitLocker encryption keys to unlock suspects' laptops

#14

Post by function_seven »

Aurornis wrote: post #6
cogman10 wrote: post #4

> Microsoft told Forbes that the company sometimes provides BitLocker recovery keys to authorities, having received an average of 20 such requests per year. At least they are honest about it, but a good reason to switch over to linux. Particularly if you travel. If microsoft is giving these keys out to the US government, they are almost certainly giving them to all other governments that request them.

It's not like companies have a choice. If they have a key in their possession and law enforcement gets an order for it, they have to provide it.

That only strengthens the parent point. Switch to an OS where this requirement doesn't come into play if you're worried about any governments having a backdoor into your own machine.

Re: Microsoft gave FBI set of BitLocker encryption keys to unlock suspects' laptops

#15

Post by tokyobreakfast »

Aurornis wrote: post #5

FYI BitLocker is on by default in Windows 11. The defaults will also upload the BitLocker key to a Microsoft Account if available. This is why the FBI can compel Microsoft to provide the keys. It's possible, perhaps even likely, that the suspect didn't even know they had an encrypted laptop. Journalists love the "Microsoft gave " framing because it makes Microsoft sound like they're handing these out because they lik…

[flagged]

Re: Microsoft gave FBI set of BitLocker encryption keys to unlock suspects' laptops

#16

Post by mattmaroon »

Aurornis wrote: post #5

FYI BitLocker is on by default in Windows 11. The defaults will also upload the BitLocker key to a Microsoft Account if available. This is why the FBI can compel Microsoft to provide the keys. It's possible, perhaps even likely, that the suspect didn't even know they had an encrypted laptop. Journalists love the "Microsoft gave " framing because it makes Microsoft sound like they're handing these out because they lik…

It’s definitely better than no encryption at all, which would be what most people would have otherwise.

Re: Microsoft gave FBI set of BitLocker encryption keys to unlock suspects' laptops

#17

Post by Zambyte »

Aurornis wrote: post #6
cogman10 wrote: post #4

> Microsoft told Forbes that the company sometimes provides BitLocker recovery keys to authorities, having received an average of 20 such requests per year. At least they are honest about it, but a good reason to switch over to linux. Particularly if you travel. If microsoft is giving these keys out to the US government, they are almost certainly giving them to all other governments that request them.

It's not like companies have a choice. If they have a key in their possession and law enforcement gets an order for it, they have to provide it.

> It's not like companies have a choice.

> If they have a key in their possession [...]

So they do have a choice.

Re: Microsoft gave FBI set of BitLocker encryption keys to unlock suspects' laptops

#18

Post by illusive4 »

cogman10 wrote: post #4

> Microsoft told Forbes that the company sometimes provides BitLocker recovery keys to authorities, having received an average of 20 such requests per year. At least they are honest about it, but a good reason to switch over to linux. Particularly if you travel. If microsoft is giving these keys out to the US government, they are almost certainly giving them to all other governments that request them.

[dead]

Re: Microsoft gave FBI set of BitLocker encryption keys to unlock suspects' laptops

#19

Post by charcircuit »

function_seven wrote: post #14
Aurornis wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not like companies have a choice. If they have a key in their possession and law enforcement gets an order for it, they have to provide it.

That only strengthens the parent point. Switch to an OS where this requirement doesn't come into play if you're worried about any governments having a backdoor into your own machine.

If you sync your Linux machines key in the cloud, police could subpoena it too. The solution is not to switch to Linux, but to stop storing it in plain text in the cloud.
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