Citizenship - Stories

August 21, 2014

#MSFTCOSO POV: Making the world safer one hack at a time

Our project, called “Safer kids. Saner parents.,” welcomed 41 practical strangers to brainstorm and deliver a functioning “dashboard” to help parents learn about and manage their kids’ online activities across our three screens: the PC/laptop/tablet, the game console and the mobile phone.

August 19, 2014

Use these tools to check your online reputation before heading back to school

A growing number of college recruiters and employers check social networking sites as a way to help assess potential candidates. But only a small percentage of respondents in a global Microsoft survey said they take some key steps to help manage their online reputation, such as editing or deleting information, writes Jacqueline Beauchere, Microsoft Chief Online Safety Officer.

August 13, 2014

Microsoft-led discussion aims to find ways to use technology to fight human trafficking

Continuing its work with the White House Office of Science and Technology, Microsoft took an important step in its efforts to combat human trafficking by convening a brainstorming session of law enforcement, academics and private organizations in Washington, D.C. July 24.

July 31, 2014

Microsoft responds to warrant case ruling

Read Microsoft Executive Vice President and General Counsel Brad Smith’s response to a federal court ruling in New York on Thursday in the company’s ongoing case challenging a U.S. government warrant for customer data stored in Dublin, Ireland.

July 30, 2014

Brad Smith in WSJ op-ed: We’re fighting the feds over your email

On Wednesday, The Wall Street Journal published a column by Microsoft Executive Vice President and General Counsel Brad Smith explaining why Microsoft is opposing the U.S. government’s demand for a customer’s email stored in Dublin, Ireland.

July 28, 2014

Microsoft Software & Systems Academy expands to Camp Pendleton, Fort Hood

On Monday, Microsoft announced it has expanded a software development and training program for U.S. active duty service members transitioning out of the service. The Microsoft Software & Systems Academy, launched in 2013 at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state, is now operating at Camp Pendleton in California and Fort Hood in Texas.

July 28, 2014

Microsoft expands program to offer transitioning service members training for tech jobs

Service members stationed in California and Texas who are transitioning from the military are now eligible for the Microsoft Software & Systems Academy.

July 16, 2014

Poll: Americans believe police should get a warrant before searching personal cellphones

In a blog post Wednesday, Brad Smith, general counsel and executive vice president of Legal and Corporate Affairs at Microsoft, shared the results of a new poll that shows the American public in support of the Supreme Court’s unanimous view that police need a warrant to search someone’s cellphone.

June 24, 2014

Singapore’s regulatory framework for TV white spaces leads the way

On Monday, Singapore’s Infocomm Development Authority announced a regulatory framework for unlicensed access to unused radio spectrum in the broadcast TV frequency bands known as TV white spaces. Microsoft, as a founding member of the Singapore White Spaces Pilot Group and through its other TV white spaces pilot programs around the world, is excited to see the Singapore authority “at the forefront of this issue on the global stage.”

June 20, 2014

Microsoft voices support for SCOTUS decision on software patents

On Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a unanimous ruling in the Alice v. CLS Bank, reaffirming that abstract ideas are not eligible for patent protection. “We applaud the Court for its ruling, and in particular their recognition that the patents in question are not software patents. The Alice claims describe a method for reducing risk in financial transactions, with no connection to any technological innovation,” wrote Horacio Gutierrez, deputy general counsel and corporate vice president, Legal and Corporate Affairs at Microsoft, in a blog post Friday.