Microsoft has denied any intention to hand over Skype encryption algorithms to the FSB, Russia’s Security Service.
At a press conference held yesterday morning, Microsoft’s representative in Russia, Nikolai Pryanishnikov, made an ambiguous statement about such a possibility, saying “I would be glad to do it” after Skype is integrated into the company, reported several Russian news agencies.
A few hours later, Microsoft’s PR department denied the company had any such plans: “The matter was not about the encryption algorithms but about the fact that Microsoft submits to the FSB the source code of its software products for inspection, and that such may be the case with Skype in the future,” should the acquisition of the company be finalized.
“Such inspections are necessary for detecting the software’s ‘hidden possibilities,’ such as leaking the encrypted information to a [remote] server owned by a third party,” RIA Novosti quoted Alexander Kovalyov of SecurIT as saying. The FSB has been conducting these inspections since 2002.
In an exchange with Russian business daily Vedomosti, Microsoft also underlined its commitment to protect personal data, which can be disclosed to state authorities only when based on a court decision.
The FSB has shown interest more than once in Skype — a means of communication considered by many Russian digital activists to be more secure. Last April, a senior FSB official proposed banning Skype, as well as Gmail and Hotmail, claiming that “the uncontrollable use of [these services] could lead to a major threat to Russia’s security.”
The FSB backed away the following day after the Kremlin disapproved the statement.
