Microsoft finds an unlikely ally in Apple as its battles to protect Irish servers from a US warrant
Microsoft has rallied a large group of companies across the technology and media sectors including Apple to support its case to protect its overseas data from US law enforcement agencies.
Microsoft urges the US government to respect its oversea operations
The software maker has amassed support from 10 technology company's including the iPhone maker, Amazon and Verizon in its ongoing bid to battle a US government court order to hand over email data stored on its servers in Ireland.
The computing giant, responding to a criminal warrant issued to it last December for information stored in its European data server based in Dublin, claimed that the US government has no right to access the information stored on another country’s sovereign territory.
The case first reared its head in August after a US judge demanded the firm hands over email addresses stored on an Irish server as part of a criminal search warrant.
US District Judge Loretta Preska argued that the location of the data was irrelevant as it had jurisdiction over the individual if he or she was based in the US. However, the firm argued that such a mentality would threaten its international customers.
Brad Smith, general counsel and executive vice president of legal and corporate affairs at Microsoft, on Monday said: “Seldom has a case below the Supreme Court attracted the breadth and depth of legal involvement we’re seeing today.
“Tech companies such as Microsoft for good reason store private communications such as email, photos, and documents in data centers that are located close to our customers… so consumers and companies can retrieve their personal information more quickly and securely.
“We believe that when one government wants to obtain email that is stored in another country, it needs to do so in a manner that respects existing domestic and international laws.”
Smith concluded: “In contrast, the US government’s unilateral use of a search warrant to reach email in another country puts both fundamental privacy rights and cordial international relations at risk.”
Microsoft has received the support of 28 leading media and technology companies, including Apple, Amazon, HP, CNN, Fox News, NPR and the Guardian, bolstered by 35 leading computer scientists and 23 trade associations.
