TechCrunch is reporting that Microsoft has successfully managed to challenge a National Security Letter (NSL) from the FBI that included a gag order. The gist is simple: according to Microsoft they received an NSL requesting "basic subscriber information" regarding an "enterprise" customer; i.e. the FBI was after the metadata of a large Microsoft client.
As is normal for NSLs, the letter banned Microsoft from disclosing to anyone that the data had been requested. Microsoft didn't think that reasonable and filed a challenge resulting in the FBI retracting its request. What's perhaps more interesting isn't that a single National Security Letter was beaten back, but how Microsoft argued its case which could, in theory, be used by others to defeat other NSLs.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 23 2014, @04:22AM
If you try it, you lose. Enjoy prison.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by davester666 on Friday May 23 2014, @07:01AM
and they didn't "beat it".
the only standing MS has is to challenge the gag order. the fbi or whomever decided that they would rather not fight to keep the gag order, but rather get a new warrant that was more specific.
to 'beat them' would be for the case to actually make it before a judge, who ruled that the gag order was inappropriate.