Russian FSB Can Reportedly Tap Skype Calls 136
An anonymous reader writes "Previous reports of a Microsoft provided backdoor to Skype has been unconfirmed. However, there are now reports that Russian federal security service FSB is able to tap call and locate users. 'FSB and the Internal Affairs Ministry (MVD) have been capable to wiretap and locate Skype users for some years already, reported Vedomosti on Thursday [Google translation of Russian original]. The newspaper is citing experts on information security. "Special services have been capable for several years not only to wiretap but also to locate a Skype user. That's why, for instance, employees of our company are forbidden to discuss business-related topics on Skype," General Director of Group-IB, Ilya Sachkov, says to Vedomosti. "After Microsoft acquired Skype in May 2011, it updated the software with technology allowing legitimate wiretapping," says Maksim Emm, Director of Peak Systems.'"
Maybe they should tell the French? (Score:3, Funny)
Would save a lot of trouble.
Re:Ah, the consequences of closed-source (Score:4, Funny)
Since when has "knowing what youre talking about" been a requirement to post on slashdot?
Re:A reminder. (Score:2, Funny)
The denial is strong in this one.
Re:Ah, the consequences of closed-source (Score:4, Funny)
Microsoft has never met a dictator or despot they didn't like.
What about Steve Jobs? *ducks*
Re:Jitsi (Score:3, Funny)
Why the hell would I want a Skype account?
Because otherwise people won't talk to you. That's nice at first (very nice!) but after a while it leads to you not getting paid any more, which is very much not nice. The issue? People who communicate are better at making contacts and better at winning business. Over the longer term, this is a very important effect.
But at least there's one thing. If the FSB listen into my skype conversations, the joke will be on them. In particular, those meetings are so incredibly boring that they'll lose the will to live! (It's bad enough for me, and I'm supposed to be interested in what's going on in them.)