Microsoft challenged a U.S. government search warrant seeking access to customer emails in our Irish data center. On July 14, 2016, the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 3-0 in favor of our challenge, a decision that helps ensure information stored in the cloud receives the same protection as physical information, paving the way for modern solutions that enhance personal rights and public safety.
Today we released a new poll showing that a large majority of Irish people want strong privacy protections for their online data, and they expect the government to stand up for Irish law when other countries disagree.
A district judge in New York today issued an order clearing the way for Microsoft to pursue its case against the U.S. government on appeal. The government has demanded that Microsoft turn over customer emails held in its data center in Dublin, Ireland.
Microsoft Executive Vice President and General Counsel Brad Smith provided the following response to a federal court ruling in New York today, in the company’s ongoing case challenging a U.S. government warrant for customer data stored in Dublin, Ireland:</br>
</br>“The only issue that was certain this morning was that the District Court’s decision would not represent the final step in this process. We will appeal promptly and continue to advocate that people’s email deserves strong privacy protection in the U.S. and around the world.”
Today The Wall Street Journal published a column by Microsoft Executive Vice President and General Counsel Brad Smith explaining why Microsoft is opposing the U.S. government’s demand for a customer’s email stored in Dublin, Ireland. As Smith writes, "This dispute should be important to you if you use email, because it could well turn on who owns your email—you or the company that stores it in the cloud."
On June 25, Governance Studies at Brookings hosted an event to explore the future of global technology, privacy, and data protection with Brad Smith, executive vice president and general counsel at Microsoft, to address these and other questions.
Personal Democacy Forum 2014 Brad Smith, Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Microsoft Legal and Corporate Affairs (LCA), “A Conversation and Q&A with Andrew Rasiej
The U.S. government doesn’t have the power to search a home in another country, nor should it have the power to search the content of email stored overseas.