US identifies new Microsoft hire as Russian spy

[Shayla]

Microsoft suffered a wound to its public image today as it was revealed that a new Russian spy had been caught working at the company. Alexey Karetnikov had been working as a Software Design Engineer in Test at the Windows developer since October and was ordered out of the country on Monday after falling afoul of US immigration law. A Washington Post source in federal law enforcement, however, said that Karetnikov had "just set up shop" as a spy in Redmond, Washington and that the immigration charges were technicalities used without enough evidence of actual crimes to bring espionage charges so soon.

No information was leaked since the agent had been in the US, the insider said. The FBI reportedly monitored Karetnikov since he had arrived in the country. The arrest is the 11th of a Russian agent in the US and comes independent of the discovery of a spy ring that had resulted in the first 10 arrests.

Microsoft spokesman Lou Gellos confirmed that Karetnikov had been an employee and had been deported, but wouldn't comment further on the circumstances.

The hiring of a spy is nonetheless the latest in a series of employee-related blows at Microsoft. It recently saw J Allard and Robbie Bach leave amid unconfirmed rumors of discontent with strategy. A decision to cancel the Kin after just six weeks on sale also saw employees rolled into the Windows Phone division after accusations of infighting, and it recently cut hundreds of jobs in an effort to trim overhead as it hires in other areas.

More on WashingtonPost

Source : Electronista

[Solid Knight]

Looks like another example of profiling to me. A guy comes over from Russia and they immediately start monitoring him. Racism? You bet.

[strotee]

Looks like another example of profiling to me. A guy comes over from Russia and they immediately start monitoring him. Racism? You bet.

Russian is a race?

[BajiRav]

wow, people would blame Microsoft for anything! How're they supposed to know that this guy was a spy? It could've been Apple, Google or any other company.

[neufuse Veteran]

Just because they wern't "legal" in the country they suddenly are a spy? huh? do they have evidance of him doing spying or sending industrial espionage info back to russia?

The FBI must of had something that linked him to those other confirmed spys

[Glen]

A Russian spy planted by Apple, no doubt. It's a conspiracy I tell you, a conspiracy!

And I thought the cold war was over, silly me!

[Doli]

The hiring of a spy is nonetheless the latest in a series of employee-related blows at Microsoft

Not really since the guy "just set up shop" they can get a new guy easily. They probaly had a few people trying out for the job and picked him, well #2 will get a call.

[Titoist]

How can you become a spy by working for a company. Like seriously. If they wanted secret information from Microsoft, why didn't he just apply to Microsoft Russia or something. Same company, same projects, same rules.

[strotee]

How can you become a spy by working for a company. Like seriously. If they wanted secret information from Microsoft, why didn't he just apply to Microsoft Russia or something. Same company, same projects, same rules.

From what I understand, he wasn't working at MS to spy on MS. but rather, spy on the US. I would imagine he wanted to blend into society so he got a regular job doing what he was educated to do; MS really has nothing to do with the bigger picture.

[MR_Candyman]

I can't believe how many of you either didn't read the article or just completely missed it. He was a russian spy who just happened to get a job at Microsoft. They tied him to the other 10 russian spies. He had just set up shop in Redmond, so they didn't have enough evidence to convict him of being a spy, but they knew he was one, so they deported him.

[bjoswald]

The FBI must be riled up from the last incident they had so they're putting everyone under the microscope. I don't know what to think, really. I guess there's more spies than ever creeping around behind the woodwork these days.

[Conjor]

I can think of a dozen different posistions in the US to gather military and/or other intelligence... MS headquarters is not one of them.

[neufuse Veteran]

I can think of a dozen different posistions in the US to gather military and/or other intelligence... MS headquarters is not one of them.

Unless Bill Gates really is behind the UFO coverup and stuff like some wacko said a month or so ago about him going to reveal them with the US gov to the wold :alien:

[HSoft]

Russian is a race?

When talking in terms of racism yes.

"According to the United Nations conventions, there is no distinction between the term racial discrimination and ethnic discrimination"

[wolfman1380]

Wow Americans still scared of those damn Russian commies, Thought the cold war finished a long time ago guess not. ;)

[Solid Knight]

Wow Americans still scared of those damn Russian commies, Thought the cold war finished a long time ago guess not. ;)

I know. We should just let them spy, right?

[_neutrino Veteran]

First off why would Russia want to spy on us. Second, 10 years ago if they caught them doing this it would be an Act of War so what exactly are they trying to tell us when they say they caught a "Spy"

[LiquidSolstice]

Why is there no international backlash because of this?

[c3ntury]

Hardly Microsoft's fault.. how were they supposed to know who they were employing?

[Richteralan]

I know. We should just let them spy, right?

yeah because it's on newspaper so it must be right

[oceanmotion]

Why is there no international backlash because of this?

They all do it. Spies are just part of the self interest game. Russia got caught, that is the only difference.

[wolfman1380]

They all do it. Spies are just part of the self interest game. Russia got caught, that is the only difference.

+1

No difference to what every other country in the world is doing. I wonder what would happen if an US spy got caught in Russia.

Don't believe everything Fox news tells you.

[Solid Knight]

They all do it. Spies are just part of the self interest game. Russia got caught, that is the only difference.

+1

[xpablo]

Ok, This Russian spy business is pretty strange, most of the secrets seem to be more about corporate espionage, than state secrets, another is Russia is so damn broke, by the time they actually put thsese secrets to use it would be out of date, they wasted money on these spies who couldn't of been very good if they're caught by the FBI or CIA, anyhow Russia being broke and with these secrets it could be that Russia is selling them to countries like Iran and China, possibly N.Korea also. I suspect this is the main motive of gathering information from US corporations and possibly some government classified information.

[+Mirumir Subscriber¹]

Just because they wern't "legal" in the country they suddenly are a spy? huh? do they have evidance of him doing spying or sending industrial espionage info back to russia?

The FBI must of had something that linked him to those other confirmed spys

(Y)

None of the spies in the spy ring were charged with espionage. The whole thing is FBI's PR imho.

Unfortunately, there are forces in the U.S. that don't want to "reset" the relations with Russia. It's the people linked to the military-industrial complex. They don't make money when the U.S. and Russia are friends.

Nevertheless, my outlook on the U.S.-Russia relations is positive. Both governments have downplayed the issue and resolved it quickly.

It's the first time there have been no ######-for-tat accusations usually accompanied with the deportations of the diplomats in such cases.

Ok, This Russian spy business is pretty strange, most of the secrets seem to be more about corporate espionage, than state secrets, another is Russia is so damn broke, by the time they actually put thsese secrets to use it would be out of date, they wasted money on these spies who couldn't of been very good if they're caught by the FBI or CIA, anyhow Russia being broke and with these secrets it could be that Russia is selling them to countries like Iran and China, possibly N.Korea also. I suspect this is the main motive of gathering information from US corporations and possibly some government classified information.

Russia is far from being broke. In fact, it has the lowest debt to gdp ratio among the top countries.

First off why would Russia want to spy on us. Second, 10 years ago if they caught them doing this it would be an Act of War so what exactly are they trying to tell us when they say they caught a "Spy"

I've read some American journalist's column where he said that the government programmes are the same everywhere: once implemented, they are impossible to shut down.

When these "spies" were "seeded" in the U.S. in the 90's, the countries' bilateral relations were much cooler at that time.