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Microsoft is Censoring MSN Messenger Chats

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Renegade:
Well, looks like it's official policy to introduce malware-like behavior into your software:

http://endthelie.com/2012/03/26/microsoft-censoring-windows-live-messenger-chats-under-guise-of-fighting-piracy/

Piracy seems to be the favorite excuse nowadays when it comes to censorship, destroying internet freedom, and even absurdly large domestic digital surveillance operations.

Now Microsoft, one of the world’s largest corporations in the technology sector, has been actively monitoring and censoring conversations on their Windows Live Messenger program.

Even more disturbing, Microsoft now admits that they have been censoring conversations between users on Windows Live Messenger for quite a while now.

--- End quote ---

More at the link there. It gets worse.

IainB:
Well, I don't recall anything in MSN Messenger that categorically stated that they wouldn't look in users' chats, so I guess it's no surprise to hear that they actually do - and apparently have been for some time for censorship purposes at any rate.

I don't regard anything in email or online chats or over the phone to be absolutely private.
Fortunately, I never really have anything I wish to "hide", being pretty open about what I am doing.

However, I strenuously object to any breach of privacy and I consider this and any breach to be objectionable.

Huxwellianism in action.

Ehtyar:
As though we needed an excuse to switch to Jabber/XMPP.

Ehtyar.

nosh:
 :o
That's it! The final nail in TPB's coffin...

Microsoft has always been a wanker frontrunner when it comes to effective anti-piracy measures. The situation here was hilarious deadly serious a few years back - the guys who sold pirated CDs (pre-broadband days, but they're still around) actually had MS Anti-Piracy posters pasted on their walls with helpline nos. to call for reporting infringements (I'm NOT kidding!)

I'd trolled their helpline and asked the lady who answered how every 14 year old in the city knew exactly where the pirated stuff was available but MS, with all the resources at its disposal, needed me to call and guide them.

IainB:
As though we needed an excuse to switch to Jabber/XMPP.
-Ehtyar (March 28, 2012, 12:21 AM)
--- End quote ---
Which of the IMs are "secure" in any real sense?
I have AIM, ICQ, MSN, IRC, Tahoo in my TrillianBasic3, and Google Talk/Chat in Gmail and a separate Google Talk application that I sometimes use.
I have always logged my online chats and presumed that what went onto the logs was in the "clear" at some point, and therefore insecure.

Is Jabber/XMPP more secure? What other chat systems are more secure?

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