Privacy? What Privacy?: Microsoft Falls Silent On US Government Tapping Skype

Privacy advocates are calling on Microsoft to disclose whether -- and how often -- governments are snooping on Skype users, a move that comes as the software giant integrates the popular video and voice messaging program with its Office productivity suite.

In an open letter released Thursday, groups including the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Reporters Without Borders ask Microsoft to reveal whether law enforcement can eavesdrop on calls among Skype's 250 million monthly users worldwide.

"It is unfortunate that these users, and those who advise them on best security practices, work in the face of persistently unclear and confusing statements about the confidentiality of Skype conversations, and in particular the access that governments and other third parties have to Skype user data and communications," they write. "The time has come for Microsoft to publicly document Skype’s security and privacy practices."