To the best of my knowledge, no one has alleged that the NSA had Microsoft's help in intercepting Petrobras-related email. This is more about the possibility of such a threat than anything else.
Disclaimer: I work at Microsoft, so eh.
Disclaimer: I work at Microsoft, so eh.
The tech industries reaction to the Snowden seems to the outside very lukewarm. Sure, they are giving all sorts of "trust us" statements, but truth is we don't have the slightest clue if this is their honest opinion or just an opinion that a secret court forces them to uphold. Reality might be much more nuanced, but to the outside there is very little reason to give anyone any longer the benefit of the doubt.
I was a bit amused to read that "The Expresso platform will also be used as the base of the Hotmail-like system that the government is also planning to offer to citizens." Are Brazil's citizens that trusting of its government? I certainly can't imagine Americans trusting their email to the government even before Snowden-gate.
I mean to say this appears to be primarily a political reaction with nice governmental side-benefits.