The government has been hitting up Microsoft for customer account information — a lot. And Microsoft in turn has been charging the government — a lot — to comply.
The tech giant bills the FBI's Digital Intercept Technology Unit (DITU) hundreds of thousands of dollars to view information the agency obtained through lawful data requests, according to documents released by the Syrian Electronic Army and first reported by The Daily Dot.
According to emails and invoices, Microsoft apparently raised its rates over time — from $100 per data request in December 2012 to $200 per request by August 2013, when it racked up $352,200. The charges were broken down by type — a subpoena was billed at $50 and a search warrant cost the government as much as $100.
The SEA has targeted Microsoft in the past, hacking into its Twitter account and blog.
