Friday, August 1, 2014

Microsoft Loses Fed Data Request Bid, Vows To Fight

Microsoft has lost a bid to keep data stored in its Ireland data centers away from the Federal government yesterday, after a judge rules that the company must release the email data--stored overseas--to the U.S. government. Microsoft had argued that the data, which had been requested via a legal warrant, was the legal property of its email customer, and not owned by Microsoft, and resided outside the jurisdiction of the United States. The ruling was made by U.S. District Judge Loretta A. Preska in Manhattan. Microsoft said it would appeal the ruling. Microsoft--as well as a number of other large, multinational technology companies--have said that the ruling would set a precedent, allowing foreign countries to request email data stored in the United States, even if those subscribers had never been in those countries. The company and others also are worried that the ruling could impact the adoption of cloud technology by both individuals and enterprises.