>>Clauses b) and c) place no restrictions on what MS may do. For example, all MS has to do is decide they need to scan your communications to protect their, or their customers' properties and/or rights (whatever they decide that to mean). You have no way to deny that access, short of not using the software, or disconnecting from the Internet.

It's a common-enough form similar to when you sign up for practically anything. Legitimate use by all email providers would include spam checking (how can you do it without checking the email?) as well as making sure you aren't sending spam yourself or trying to hack paid sites, as well as legal obligations. I agree it could be tightened up to refer to requests by authorities or court orders or specific actions to block spam, but it's a free service and companies reasonably have a duty to limit their costs.

>>an interesting read at http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/02/im-being-followed-how-google-151-and-104-other-companies-151-are-tracking-me-on-the-web/253758/

The first paragraph immediately is wrong thanks to Ghostery. FWIW Ghostery blocked 12 trackers at your link at theatlantic.com which is more than NYTimes! UT has no trackers (thanks, Michel) but as he's shown before, IP addresses, access logs and co-operative fellow providers make tracking possible if you can limit the pool of likely persons.

>>Another interesting read at http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2012/03/ff_nsadatacenter/ .

Yep. Last month a US authority figure said that most of the world's email traverses an email server in a US state at some point which gives them the right to snoop. There are different laws for European communications, but is it still European if it traverses an e-mail server in the US? What about VOIP telephone increasingly used to transmit calls even by copper wire phone providers? Most of that stuff also is sent in the clear and may not require a formal snooping order like a landline. Yep, we all need to assume that everything electronic lasts forever and even if it can't be snooped today it may be tomorrow. E.g. imagine if Michel were to sell UT to another company who rolls it up into an exciting new floated company whose liquidator sells the UT data to somebody who publishes it for advertising revenues... seems to me that's likely to be the end fate of a lot of stuff online.

>>The most important thing to remember is, the Internet never forgets.

Agreed.

>>Remaining anonymous is NOT easy, and anyone who thinks so is a bit naive.

LOL. They can track you to an internet provider/IP and email address, but neither of those needs to identify you. I've trained my kids to use disposable e-mail addresses for years and even provide domains for that purpose.