Microsoft permanently deleted a user's account after it was compromised, erasing 25 years of personal data and thousands of euros in digital purchases. This incident highlights the severe risks of account hijacking and the finality of Microsoft's data retention policies. Users who store long-term digital assets in these accounts face irreversible loss if security credentials are breached.
Streamer loses 25 years of data and thousands of euros in games
The affected user is streamer Joshua Khane, who reported that his account was hacked before being permanently suspended by Microsoft. He criticized the company's handling of the situation on X, noting the total loss of family photos and other personal files. The incident follows recent criticism of Microsoft's account security practices, including a lawsuit won by an Xbox player who was locked out of his account.
Microsoft cited the Microsoft Services Agreement and strict security policies as the basis for its decision to close the account. The company stated that its encryption and privacy protections prevent even its own engineers from recovering data once an account is permanently closed. This technical limitation means that no appeal or manual intervention can restore the deleted content.
Khane claimed he had spent thousands of euros on games tied to the account, all of which are now inaccessible. Microsoft noted that if the account had been used to purchase Minecraft, that specific purchase could not be recovered either. The exact monetary value of the lost games remains unconfirmed, as the source only provided a general estimate rather than a specific figure.
Microsoft maintains that the account suspension was irreversible due to the nature of its security protocols. The company's stance emphasizes that user data is encrypted in a way that precludes recovery after permanent deletion. This policy leaves users with no recourse for restoring data lost to hacking or unauthorized access.
Source: NotebookCheck
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