Microsoft Wants New Privacy Laws In The United States

documented. The company, almost like clockwork, asks for improved privacy and security rules and regulations in the United States. At the same time, Microsoft legally contests any unauthorized requests it receives from government agencies for access to its data. Now the company is asking the Obama administration to consider a new law that would protect US firms and their customers, particularly when it comes to data hosted overseas. The impact, Microsoft says, is already being felt, at least in the cloud business. David Heiner, Microsoft’s VP and deputy general counsel, legal and corporate affairs submitted a letter to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration on August 5, where he explained:

“Without new privacy legislation, U.S. companies will find themselves increasingly disadvantaged compared to foreign providers that will compete against U.S. companies in their home and other jurisdictions based on more protective privacy regimes. Over time, absent sound rules of the road, it will likely become harder for U.S. companies to keep the trust of consumers worldwide. Already, some customers for cloud services in foreign markets are turning towards local solutions instead of U.S. providers, precisely because they (and their regulators) do not trust to the sufficiency of U.S. privacy laws.”

This has been the case for a while now, actually. In fact, market analysts predicted as much a couple of years back — that without more rigorous laws, US based technology giants are going to lose important business customers all over the world. As of right now, Microsoft is facing opposition against this proposition in the form of the so called Internet Association, which is made up of companies like Google, Facebook, Twitter and Yahoo. These firms fear that a law like this will affect the development of new technologies and services.]]>