Microsoft Gave FBI A Set Of BitLocker Encryption Keys To Unlock Suspects’ Laptops

Microsoft Gave FBI A Set Of BitLocker Encryption Keys To Unlock Suspects’ Laptops

BitLocker Keys Handed to FBI Spark Encryption Backlash In a move that’s reigniting debate over digital privacy, Microsoft reportedly provided the FBI with BitLocker recovery keys to unlock three encrypted laptops tied to a fraud investigation in Guam. This revelation raises urgent questions: Can users truly trust cloud-backed encryption when law enforcement can bypass it with a warrant? And what does this mean for everyday Windows users who rely on BitLocker for data protection? Credit: Nicolas Economou/NurPhot / Getty Images The answer lies in how BitLocker works by default—and where its weakest link resides. How BitLocker Recovery Keys End Up in Microsoft’s Cloud BitLocker is Microsoft’s built-in full-disk encryption tool, enabled automatically on most modern Windows devices with compatible hardware. When activated, it scrambles all data on a drive so that only someone with the correct credentials—like a password or PIN—can access it. That’s ideal for security… in theory. But here’s the c…