Microsoft said it is scrambling Outlook email messages in transit to thwart spying by governments.<\/p>\n
Toughened encryption at Outlook and Microsoft OneDrive online data storage service came less than a month after the technology titan got low marks in a Google ranking of such defences against online snooping.<\/p>\n
“We are in the midst of a comprehensive engineering effort to strengthen encryption across our networks and services,” Microsoft vice president of trustworthy computing security Matt Thomlinson said in a blog post.<\/p>\n
“This effort also helps us reinforce that governments use appropriate legal processes, not technical brute force, if they want access to that data.”<\/p>\n
US Internet firms are eager to fend off privacy concerns provoked by US online spying tactics exposed by former intelligence agency contractor Edward Snowden, who has taken refuge in Russia.<\/p>\n
Microsoft also announced the opening of a transparency centre at its Redmond, Washington, headquarters where governments can check the integrity of its software.<\/p>\n
Google in June stepped up its effort to make it tougher for spies or anyone else to snoop on email, unveiling Chrome browser software for scrambling digital messages.<\/p>\n
A test version of a software tool called “End-to-End” was released so Internet engineers can dabble with making mini-programs that plug into Chrome browser and encrypt Gmail messages in ways that shield them from eyes of everyone except senders and recipients.<\/p>\n
In a move that put pressure other services, Google broke down how much message traffic received from them was encrypted.<\/p>\n
Xbox One available for pre-order in SA<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Leadership shake-up at Microsoft SA<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n