Tech Musing #3

Ariticle: http://www.montrealgazette.com/business/microsoft+suit+latest+tech+clash+with+over+privacy/11853281/story.html

Overview:

Along with the some breaking news coming out such as former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden leaked details of government data-gathering efforts and Apple recently fought a high-profile battle over the FBI's demand for help unlocking an encrypted iPhone in San Bernardino, California, people become more and more concerned of their personal private information, and privacy become a hot topic these days. This article talks about, computer hardware and software industry leader, Microsoft’s latest tech clash suit with US over privacy. In this case, Microsoft suited the Justice Department over its use of court ordered the company to turn over customer files stored in its computer centers, and also not allow them to notifying their customers. Not only ask Microsoft for the US-citizen’s private files, US government but also demanded for emails of a non-U.S. citizen that the company has stored in a data center located in Ireland. Except Microsoft, some other companies also suffered the same thing. The Redmond, Washington-based company says authorities used the 1986 law, known as the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, to demand customer information more than 5,600 times in the last 18 months. This high frequency definitely influences the operation of the company and also affect the company’s competitive advantage in customer’s privacy.

Relevant to Course:

This article is very relevant to what we have leant in class like privacy, information security and potential venerability of data. It also shows me from a new stand point of how government use their power to request user’s personal information. This article provides me how big corporates feel about government’s action and how they use their power to against them. It also shows me the endeavor they have made to protect their user’s privacy.

Importance as an MIS student:

As a MIS student. Information security is a big part of knowledge we should have. Through learning the action government has made and the corporate decisions, we should be able to understand why we need to use different technics to make our information secure. Just like other companies, including Google, Facebook and Yahoo, have increased their use of encryption in order to keep their data safe and hard to compromise, we should learn different technics to keep our information and data secure.