A US judge has ordered
Microsoft to turn over
information stored in a data
centres in Ireland, in a
ruling that could have major
implications for the cloud
industry.
The case dates back to
April when a magistrate
judge in New York ruled
that Microsoft must provide
access to data, regardless
of location. Even Microsoft’s
rivals Apple voiced their
concern with the ruling.
Microsoft appealed against
the initial ruling but was
again shot down in the
courts, after US district
judge Loretta Preska ruled
in favour of the government. "It is a question of control, not a question of the location of that information,” she was
reported as saying.
Microsoft general counsel Brad Smith has promised that the firm will appeal again. “The only issue that was certain
this morning was that the District Court’s decision would not represent the final step in this process,” he said.
“We will appeal promptly and continue to advocate that people’s email deserves strong privacy protection in the US and
around the world.”
Microsoft has been one of the most vocal companies to criticise the US government for its interference in the
technology market, calling out the National Security Agency for creating friction between itself and customers due to
the PRISM revelations.
However, if the ruling is upheld through the court process, Microsoft and other US cloud vendors will face major
challenges convincing firms in other parts of the world, including Europe, to use their cloud services.
One silver lining of the ruling, though, could be that European-headquartered cloud firms will be beyond the reach of the
US government, which may appeal to many businesses in the region and help them secure customers over their US
rivals.
