Sharing service linked to Office online allowed anyone to search the hundreds of thousands of documents uploaded to the cloud
Privacy issues for Microsoft. A document sharing site linked to Office online, in fact, allowed anyone to search the database and access private files of unsuspecting users. A big problem, at a time when the protection of data and personal information is one of the aspects most appreciated by Internet users.
As pointed out by several industry analysts and also by some users (and as "certified" by several Twitter subscribers with screenshots), the internal search engine of docs.com - this is the name of the Microsoft service - allowed to search and find password lists, introduction or recommendation letters and letters of acceptance of job offers, recipes, divorce agreements, lists of investments made and any other kind of document you can imagine.
Search engine disabled
As soon as the news started to spread online, in fact, Microsoft disabled the search functionality that allowed Internet users from all over the world to "fish" for random documents and worksheets and to consult and download them at will. In a historical moment in which the thefts of data and passwords are the order of the day (or almost) and all are activated to increase and improve the safety systems, that of Microsoft appears like a half false step. Even if the uploading of documents by users is completely voluntary, the Redmond company had not set a data protection policy that, in some way, could allow users to protect their information from prying eyes.