Cloud Computing: Microsoft files lawsuit against US government and secret snooping orders

April 15, 2016 Off By David

Grazed from BusinessCloudNews. Author: Jamie Davies.

Microsoft has filed a new lawsuit in federal court against the United States government arguing the right that customers should have the right to know when the state accesses their emails or records. Under current law, the government has the right to demand access to customer information, while also issuing orders to companies such as Microsoft to keep these types of legal demands secret.

Microsoft claim these orders are becoming too often common place; rather than common routine, these secrecy issues should be the exception not the rule. “We believe that with rare exceptions consumers and businesses have a right to know when the government accesses their emails or records,” said Brad Smith, President and Chief Legal Officer at Microsoft on the company blog…

“Yet it’s becoming routine for the U.S. government to issue orders that require email providers to keep these types of legal demands secret. We believe that this goes too far and we are asking the courts to address the situation…

Read more from the source @ http://www.businesscloudnews.com/2016/04/15/microsoft-files-lawsuit-against-us-government-and-secret-snooping-orders/