Skype has gone under a number of updates and upgrades since it was bought by Microsoft last year, mostly in a bid to improve reliability. But according to a report by the Washington Post, Skype has also changed its system to make chat transcripts, as well as users’ addresses and credit card numbers, more easily shared with authorities
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As we’ve already seen with Facebook and Twitter, big Internet firms aren’t digging their heels in against government requests, which shouldn’t come as a shock; angering the authorities is bad business. The lesson then is that, while the Internet will always retain a vestige of its Wild West days, as companies get bigger and bigger, they’re either going to play ball with governments or go the way of Kim Dotcom.
Posted July 27, 2012 at 4:19pm in skype microsoft crony capitalism state capitalism privacy individual rights
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