Microsoft continues to make a case for digital privacy reform

In a reply brief filed this week Microsoft continued to make their case about protecting the privacy of their customers wherever their data is stored.

Richard Hay, Senior Content Producer

April 10, 2015

2 Min Read
Here's the Supreme Court of the U.S., where any executive order-prompted antitrust ruling is likely to land

There has been an ongoing case involving the Redmond company against the as it fights a U.S. government search warrant for customer data located on a server in Ireland.

Microsoft’s position is that any attempt to take possession of those letters through a warrant – even one served on the company entrusted with those letters – would constitute a seizure by a foreign government of private information located in another country.

In a reply brief filed this week, which can be read in full here, Microsoft continued to make their case about protecting the privacy of their customers wherever that data is stored.

In a nutshell, this case is about how we best protect privacy, ensure that governments keep people safe, and respect national sovereignty while preserving the global nature of the internet. While there are many areas where we disagree with the government, we both agree that outdated electronic privacy laws need to be modernized. The statute in this case, the Electronics Communications Privacy Act, is almost 30 years old. That’s an eternity in the era of information technology.

If you manage or work in the IT field, including having customer information on servers around the world, then this case is very important to your work and should be followed closely.

We live in an age of digital data everywhere and laws governing access to that information need to be brought up to speed so they protect the rights of the individuals involved.

You can catch up on past posts from Microsoft’s Brad Smith, the companies General Counsel & Executive Vice President, Legal and Corporate Affairs, at the links below:

But, wait...there's probably more so be sure to follow me on Twitter and Google+.

About the Author

Richard Hay

Senior Content Producer, IT Pro Today (Informa Tech)

I served for 29 plus years in the U.S. Navy and retired as a Master Chief Petty Officer in November 2011. My work background in the Navy was telecommunications related so my hobby of computers fit well with what I did for the Navy. I consider myself a tech geek and enjoy most things in that arena.

My first website – AnotherWin95.com – came online in 1995. Back then I used GeoCities Web Hosting for it and WindowsObserver.com is the result of the work I have done on that site since 1995.

In January 2010 my community contributions were recognized by Microsoft when I received my first Most Valuable Professional (MVP) Award for the Windows Operating System. Since then I have been renewed as a Microsoft MVP each subsequent year since that initial award. I am also a member of the inaugural group of Windows Insider MVPs which began in 2016.

I previously hosted the Observed Tech PODCAST for 10 years and 317 episodes and now host a new podcast called Faith, Tech, and Space. 

I began contributing to Penton Technology websites in January 2015 and in April 2017 I was hired as the Senior Content Producer for Penton Technology which is now Informa Tech. In that role, I contribute to ITPro Today and cover operating systems, enterprise technology, and productivity.

https://twitter.com/winobs

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