Skype being sued in Belgium for refusal to tap calls

Telecom giant Skype has denied access to suspects’ calls in a Belgian police investigation, and is therefore being brought to court next month, reports De Standaard on Tuesday. Skype, owned by Microsoft, refused to tap calls for the purpose of an investigation into suspected criminals of Armenian descent.

The investigating judge that requested access to the Skype calls is calling the company’s refusal to cooperate ‘unlawful’, referring to a law which requires telecom providers to cooperate in tapping investigations at the government’s request.

Skype claims that it does not fall under the law’s jurisdiction, however, and also states that it is technically impossible to listen in on Skype calls because they are encrypted by default.

The company has not yet commented on the Belgian case, which will be treated in court at the beginning of June.