A few days ago we brought you a story regarding a Houston man who was arrested after Google tipped off authorities regarding possible child pornography in his Gmail account. Now it's Microsoft's turn as the Redmond-based company recently worked with law enforcement to arrest a Pennsylvania man who allegedly used the company's products to send and receive child abuse images.
According to a report from the BBC, police arrested a man in his twenties after noticing he saved an illegal image to his OneDrive account. Court documents claim the man acknowledged receiving the images in question via Kik Messenger, a popular mobile messaging application. He then tried to send two additional pictures using a live.com e-mail account, the affidavit reads.
Pennsylvania state trooper Christopher Hill confirmed the legal document was indeed genuine and that Microsoft was responsible for instigating the investigation.
Getting an alleged child predator off the streets is certainly seen as a "win" for law enforcement and the community in general. And while it's worth pointing out that Microsoft's terms and conditions clearly state they have the right to deploy automated technologies to detect child porn and abusive behavior, the incident - very similar to Google's earlier this week, will no doubt incite further discussions as it relates to privacy.
The unnamed suspect was taken into custody on July 31. He remains in a county correctional facility and has yet to enter a plea. A preliminary court appearance is scheduled for sometime next week.