Comment by seanhunter
25 days ago
A subpoena (specifically a subpoena duces tecum[1]) is the legal instrument that a court or other legal agency uses to compel someone to provide evidence. Seems entirely appropriate in this case.
[1] The other kind is subpoena testificandum, which compels someone to testify.
If they need a warrant to search your desk then they should need a warrant to search your computer.
And they do. But if they want to compel your accountant to provide evidence (say) they use a subpoena. So if they want to compel Microsoft to provide evidence they should use a subpoena.
A technical difference being that your key/password is not itself "evidence" of anything. A practical difference being that the relationship is more akin to that of a landlord rather than an accountant.