> this manufactured brouhaha over the new privacy policy could be their doing for all I know.

Let's see if I've got this...

The world's largest web search provider, also a leading email provider, while also launching a social networking platform, makes sweeping changes to its privacy policy that affect millions with no opt-out...

And it's plausible to you that Microsoft is behind the arched eyebrows. You'd rather posit a Ballmer conspiracy than the simplest explanation.