In this case, we took extraordinary actions based on the specific circumstances. We received information that indicated an employee was providing stolen intellectual property, including code relating to our activation process, to a third party who, in turn, had a history of trafficking for profit in this type of material. In order to protect our customers and the security and integrity of our products, we conducted an investigation over many months with law enforcement agencies in multiple countries. This included the issuance of a court order for the search of a home relating to evidence of the criminal acts involved. The investigation repeatedly identified clear evidence that the third party involved intended to sell Microsoft IP and had done so in the past.Microsoft Explains Why It Accesed User's Email To Thwart Code Theft [blogs.technet.com]

While our actions were within our policies and applicable law in this previous case, we understand the concerns that people have. Therefore, we are announcing steps that will add to and continue to strengthen further our policies in any future situations involving our customers.