Nearly 300 companies, groups and individuals filed briefs with the U.S. Supreme Court this week in support of Microsoft in a case that has far-reaching implications for digital privacy across countries’ borders.
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There’s a great deal at stake in United States vs. Microsoft Corp., a case due to be heard by the US Supreme Court next month. The ruling passed down by the nine justices could impact European data protection arrangements, trans-Atlantic economic cooperation and even the future of the Internet.
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In April of last year, Microsoft sued the United States government for the right to inform customers when authorities are rifling through their emails on Microsoft’s servers. The government was using gag orders in thousands of investigations each year, with no fixed end date for the enforced secrecy.
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Today marks another important step in ensuring that people’s privacy rights are protected when they store their personal information in the cloud. In response to concerns that Microsoft raised in a lawsuit we brought against the U.S. government in April 2016, and after months advocating for the United States Department of Justice to change its practices, the...
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US technology companies will be required to hand over communications data to UK intelligence agencies under a proposed deal to help the fight against terrorism and serious crime.
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Microsoft Corp said it will drop a lawsuit against the U.S. government after the Department of Justice (DOJ) changed data request rules on alerting internet users about agencies accessing their information.
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Microsoft said Monday it will drop a lawsuit against the federal government after the Justice Department agreed to limit its use of "gag orders" to prevent Internet service providers from notifying customers that the government has accessed their information.
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Why is US chasing a line of legal thought that could easily in future be turned against it?
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Today, Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) remarked on the Supreme Court’s recent decision to grant cert in Microsoft's warrant case, and ended his comments by promoting the International Communications Privacy Act (ICPA), which would clarify US law enforcement’s ability to obtain electronic communications around the world.
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The US Supreme Court has agreed to hear arguments in a critical case over data privacy, the outcome of which will likely determine how easily law enforcement can gain access to information stored in tech companies’ overseas data centers. Microsoft will go head-to-head with the Justice Department, arguing that the agency cannot use a warrant to collect emails held in Microsoft’s Ireland data center.
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The U.S. Supreme Court said Monday it will hear a legal showdown between the federal government and Microsoft over the privacy of customer data stored outside the United States.
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In July 2016, the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit agreed with Microsoft that U.S. federal or state law enforcement cannot use traditional search warrants to seize emails of citizens of foreign countries that are located in data centers outside the United States. Today, the Supreme Court granted the Department of Justice’s petition to...
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Today marks an important step toward protecting the rights of Americans while ensuring law enforcement has the ability to fight crime in the digital age. A bipartisan group of U.S. senators introduced new legislation Thursday to update the Electronic Communications and Privacy Act (ECPA) and require that a warrant be obtained by law enforcement before...
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Today the U.S. Justice Department asked the Supreme Court to reconsider a legal decision, in a case brought by Microsoft, which found that U.S. warrants cannot be unilaterally applied to email in other countries. It seems backward to keep arguing in court when there is positive momentum in Congress toward better law for everyone. The DOJ’s...
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A consensus is emerging among technology companies, civil society, judges, law enforcement officials and other stakeholders on the need to modernize our country’s antiquated digital data laws. The Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) – enacted nearly 31 years ago – was written at a time when American industry’s technology, customer base and infrastructure were largely...
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A consensus is emerging among technology companies, civil society, judges, law enforcement officials and other stakeholders on the need to modernize our country’s antiquated digital data laws. The Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) – enacted nearly 31 years ago – was written at a time when American industry’s technology, customer base and infrastructure were largely...
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The company argues that court orders for customer data often come with gag orders that Microsoft claims are a violation of customers’ privacy rights. The government contends Microsoft doesn’t have authority to sue on behalf of the customer.
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In a new blog post, Microsoft president and chief legal officer Brad Smith argues that privacy is a human right and the Safe Harbor decision is an opportunity for stronger privacy regulations. Smith also warns that without policy changes, the invalidation could signal "a return to the digital dark ages" by setting the stage for a world where data is segregated by nation:
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In a blog post published Tuesday, Smith, Microsoft's long-time top lawyer who was named president last month, agreed that it is important to balance customer data privacy with the need of businesses to be able to handle data across international borders. He likened the meeting of such disparate demands to solving a Rubik's cube.
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There were high hopes for transparency from President Obama, a former constitutional law professor who pledged to create “an unprecedented level of openness” in government.
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