US-based tech giant Microsoft has said that overseas users will be enabled to have their personal data stored in non-US data centers. Media reports stated on January 22, 2014 that this will be the most radical move so far by a US tech company to deal with concerns that the US-based intelligence agencies monitor foreigners on a regular basis.
A spokesperson for Microsoft declined to additionally comment on the remarks which were made by the general counsel of Microsoft, Brad Smith. Smith said, “People should have the ability to know whether their data are being subjected to the laws and access of governments in some other country and should have the ability to make an informed choice of where their data resides”.
Smith went on to explain that customers can also select where to have their data stored in the company’s wide network of data centers. For Instance, Europeans can choose a facility in Ireland. The idea was mentioned by Smith, but other details have not been provided for now.
So far, the clearest sign is that the company is worried about the public backlash – overseas in particular – to revelations made by the former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden. He claimed that the NSA directly taps into tech companies? servers in order to spy on foreign individuals.
Photo Credits: NDTV
