Skype summoned to Belgian court over failure to share call data

Online communication service Skype has been summoned to appear in court in Belgium after refusing to pass on customer data to aid a criminal investigation, a court spokesman said.

A court in Mechelen, just north of Brussels, had asked for data from messages and calls exchanged on Microsoft-owned Skype, arguing that telecom operators in the country were required to do so.

"The judicial question is whether Skype is also a telecoms operator," the court spokesman said, adding that Skype would have to pass on the data if this was established to be the case. It could also face a fine.

Skype was not immediately available for comment.