(Image credit: Microsoft)
The FBI served a search warrant to Microsoft in early 2025 to recover the encryption keys on three laptops, with the company complying to allow the agency to access the data on the devices that it otherwise would have been unable to read. According to Forbes, Microsoft spokesperson Charles Chamberlayne said that it receives around 20 requests for BitLocker keys annually, but most of them fail because the user did not store their recovery key in the cloud.
Although there have been many requests through the years, with one Microsoft engineer even claiming that the U.S. government approached him way back in 2013 to install a backdoor in the encryption system (which he declined), this is the first recorded instance where the tech company complied and resulted in a breakthrough for the government.
Apple offers a similar encryption system to Microsoft’s BitLocker with FileVault and Passwords, while Meta also keeps encrypted backups of WhatsApp data. Both companies allow users to keep backup keys for these systems online, but they’re also kept in an encrypted file. So, even if a government agency requests a copy of the stored key, neither Apple nor the concerned agency can unlock it without the proper key. Furthermore, Forbes notes that neither Apple nor Meta is known to have acquiesced to a request for an encryption key.
FollowTom’s Hardware on Google News, oradd us as a preferred source, to get our latest news, analysis, & reviews in your feeds.
Get Tom’s Hardware’s best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox.
Jowi Morales is a tech enthusiast with years of experience working in the industry. He’s been writing with several tech publications since 2021, where he’s been interested in tech hardware and consumer electronics.