Author: John Frank

Vice President for EU Government Affairs

John Frank is Vice President EU Government Affairs and is leading the Microsoft Brussels office. Prior to this role Frank was Vice President and Deputy General Counsel, leading the Digital Trust and Security group which includes the Law Enforcement and National Security team, the Digital Crimes Unit, the Industry Affairs group, and Competition Law, Privacy and Government Contract Compliance teams. Frank joined Microsoft in Paris in August 1994. His responsibilities focused on competition law matters with the European Commission and national governments, software licensing and copyright law and regulatory policy for the Internet. Prior to joining Microsoft, Frank practiced law in San Francisco with Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. Mr. Frank received his A.B. degree from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University and his J.D. from Columbia Law School.

Posts by John Frank

Staying the course on data flows: a priority for the G20

- John Frank - Vice President for EU Government Affairs

How to create confidence in the digital world? We at Microsoft have joined the G20’s business dialogue process (B20) and will discuss concerns and responses to this question at the G20 Conference on “Digitalization: Policies for a Digital Future” taking place in Düsseldorf today, before the meeting of the G20 digital ministers. Digitalization and its impacts are high on the G20’s list of priorities for 2017. Digital transformation has become … Read more »

Celebrating Europe

- John Frank - Vice President for EU Government Affairs

Sixty years ago, on the 25th of March 1957, European politicians gathered in Rome to lay the blueprint for the European Union as we know it today. This momentous occasion ushered in decades of peace and prosperity, and we at Microsoft are proud to join in the Treaties of Rome anniversary celebrations. Our success as a company has been closely linked to the success of the European project. We’ve always … Read more »

Why we need new rules to deal with cyber (in)security

- John Frank - Vice President for EU Government Affairs

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of joining over 500 political leaders, diplomats, academics, civil society representatives and tech industry colleagues, at the 2017 Munich Security Conference (MSC). As was to be expected given the recent installation of a new U.S. administration, the future of the transatlantic relationship dominated conference discussions – but I was surprised at how the topics of cybersecurity, and insecurity, kept coming up over and over … Read more »

Setting the right framework for future-driven e-communications in Europe

- John Frank - Vice President for EU Government Affairs

Today the Commission announced the new European Electronic Communications Code, the long-awaited reform to the EU’s regulatory framework for electronic communications, a central pillar of the Digital Single Market. Over the past years, affordable and nearly ubiquitous connectivity has led to the emergence of innovative internet-based services, including new kinds of communications applications such as Skype, Viber, Vox.io, FaceTime, Google Voice or WhatsApp, providing greater choice for Europeans from Prague … Read more »

Our search warrant case: Microsoft’s commitment to protecting your privacy

- John Frank - Vice President for EU Government Affairs

A few weeks ago, we won a major victory for our European customers in a lawsuit we brought against the US Department of Justice. A US court of appeals ruled that US search warrants do not reach our customers’ data stored abroad. We brought this case because we believe that European citizens and organizations want their data protected by European privacy law, and they do not want their emails and … Read more »

Microsoft signs up for Privacy Shield

- John Frank - Vice President for EU Government Affairs

Today (1 August 2016), Microsoft signed up for the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield. As one of the first companies, we have submitted our Privacy Shield certification to the U.S. Department of Commerce and we expect it to be approved in the coming days. Going forward, any data which we will transfer from Europe to the United States will be protected by the Privacy Shield’s safeguards. The Privacy Shield is an important … Read more »

EU-U.S. Privacy Shield: Progress for privacy rights

- John Frank - Vice President for EU Government Affairs

We at Microsoft welcome the new EU-U.S. Privacy Shield decision, which the European Commission is expected to announce on 12 July. It sets a new high standard for the protection of Europeans’ personal data. Microsoft regards privacy as a fundamental right and we believe the Privacy Shield advances this right. This is an important achievement for the privacy rights of citizens across Europe, and for companies across all industries that … Read more »

Microsoft’s commitments, including DPA cooperation, under the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield

- John Frank - Vice President for EU Government Affairs

Why we conclude, after detailed review, the Privacy Shield should be approved In light of the ongoing discussions about the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield – the framework to replace the Safe Harbor agreement that governed data transmission between Europe and the United States until it was overturned last October – I wanted to share an overview of where Microsoft stands in this important debate. The issue has been especially important to … Read more »