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Microsoft Corp. today withdrew its demand that Cryptome.org yank the "Microsoft Global Criminal Spy Guide" document from its site and said it had never intended for the whistleblower's domain to be knocked off the Web. "In this case, we did not ask that this site be taken down, only that Microsoft copyrighted content be removed," said a Microsoft spokeswoman in an e-mailed statement early today. "We are requesting to have the site restored and are no longer seeking the document's removal."

The document, a 17-page guide that Microsoft prepared to show law enforcement how to obtain information about users of its online services -- including Windows Live Hotmail, the Xbox Live gaming network and the Windows Live SkyDrive storage service -- was published by John Young, who runs Cryptome.org, on Feb. 20.