U.S. judge rules Microsoft must handover emails stored abroadAugust 30, 2014 - 15:41 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Microsoft has been told it must handover emails stored abroad to U.S. prosecutors by a New York court. However, the software giant says it will fight the ruling, saying that an email deserves the same privacy protection as a paper letter sent by mail, according to RT. The company says they will not release any emails to U.S. authorities, while it appeals the ruling, made by Chief Judge Loretta Preska of the U.S. District Court in Manhattan. She said that Microsoft must hand over information, regardless of where it was stored. "Microsoft will not be turning over the email and plans to appeal,” a Microsoft spokesperson told Reuters. "Everyone agrees this case can and will proceed to the appeals court. This is simply about finding the appropriate procedure for that to happen." Preska says her decision is final, but she will allow Microsoft to appeal the ruling and as asked both parties to give their planned courses of action by September 5. This case appears to be the first of its kind in which a corporation is challenging a U.S. search warrant to obtain data being held overseas. The original July 31 ruling concerned a warrant prosecutors served on Microsoft for an individual's emails stored in Dublin, Ireland. A magistrate judge in April ruled the warrant was valid. Tech companies are not happy about the ruling as they gain revenue by storing foreign emails abroad, which they believed were out of the jurisdiction of the U.S. authorities. However, the ruling by the New York court has changed this and if the appeal by Microsoft is unsuccessful, U.S. law enforcement agencies would in theory be able to seize any data they wished. “Earlier this month, the British government passed a law asserting its right to require tech companies to produce emails stored anywhere in the world. This would include emails stored in the U.S. by Americans who have never been to the UK,” Brendon Lynch, Chief Privacy Officer for Microsoft, wrote in his blog. Lynch says Microsoft is committed to delivering meaningful privacy protections, which build trust with the customers. “We believe your email belongs to you, not us, and that it should receive the same privacy protection as paper letters sent by mail – no matter where it is stored,” he said. “While we appreciate the vital importance of public safety, we believe it’s also important to strike the right balance with the privacy concerns of people who use technology. A recent poll shows most Americans agree,” Lynch added. The poll, which was conducted by public opinion research firm of Anzalone Liszt in July, says that 79 percent agree that the federal government should have to respect local privacy laws when searching through people’s personal information like their email accounts. It also shows that 86 percent think police should have to follow the same legal requirements for obtaining personal information stored in the cloud as they do for personal information stored on paper. Microsoft is particularly wary about data security following revelations by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden that the U.S. government was collecting massive amounts of data from around the world. It has since been trying to reassure its customers that it does not allow the U.S. government unrestricted access to personal documents that are stored on its servers. Top stories Yerevan will host the 2024 edition of the World Congress On Information Technology (WCIT). Rustam Badasyan said due to the lack of such regulation, the state budget is deprived of VAT revenues. Krisp’s smart noise suppression tech silences ambient sounds and isolates your voice for calls. Gurgen Khachatryan claimed that the "illegalities have been taking place in 2020." Partner news Most popular in the section | Scholz hopes Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty will be signed this year German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hopes that a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan will be signed this year. Armenia, Russia discuss life extension of Metsamor nuclear plant Issues regarding the extension of life of the 2nd power unit of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant were discussed in Yerevan. Armenians stage more campaigns against territorial concessions to Azerbaijan Protesters blocked more roads across Armenia on Friday, April 26 in continuing attempts to scuttle territorial concessions to Azerbaijan. Czech-Armenian military cooperation discussed in Yerevan A delegation led by the Director General for the Industrial Cooperation Division of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic visited Armenia. |