What's more stupid than a thief leaving behind the power cord to the 360 he's swiping? That same thief calling Microsoft to register the ill-gotten swag and asking for a replacement cord to be sent out. The boneheaded move gave Microsoft all the info they needed to help police catch the guy, but they chose not to share it for two weeks. Company policy, you see.
Police believed that the man in question was responsible for a number of robberies in Wellington, New Zealand, but Microsoft refused to hand over the man's information--complete with full name and address--until the police produced a court order. Though Microsoft admitted it was a criminal matter, their international policy is pretty clear on the matter, so they had to wait until they had the proper paperwork before they could spill the beans. While it's nice to know that the big M is looking out for our privacy, one wonders if their policy would be the same for a more serious crime.
Microsoft Privacy Defence Delays Police [Stuff, via Kotaku]
