14 DAY TRIAL // A 27-year-old man from Largo, Florida was arrested in April after software company Microsoft found content showing abused children in his SkyDrive account and reported it to local authorities.
According to a report by Tampa Bay Times, Microsoft has come across the photos in March and contacted the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in Alexandria, Va.
Microsoft and all the other companies operating cloud-based storage services are required by federal rules to contact authorities whenever they find such content in users’ accounts.
In this case, the Redmond-based firm has discovered more than 3,000 photos of children wearing adult clothing and make-up, the report adds.
While many would rush to criticize Microsoft for looking into SkyDrive accounts, the Windows make is not the only company that must comply with federal requests. Google, Twitter, Facebook, and other social networks have been involved in similar cases, being forced to provide the IP address belonging to users who access their services.