Microsoft has been one of many technology companies standing up to the U.S. government in response to unwarranted, rampant data collection. CNET reports that Microsoft’s top lawyer, Brad Smith, spoke on Tuesday morning at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. to reiterate his stance that the unchecked data collection should be put to an end.
“I want law enforcement to do its job in an effective way pursuant to the rule of law,” said Smith. “If we can’t get to that world, then law enforcement is going to have a bleak future anyway.”
Smith has been leading the charge on this issue for quite some time, arguing that in our increasingly connected world, the collection of private data is only going to cause more heated debates. Microsoft practices what it’s preaching too — Smith took to Microsoft’s blog earlier this year to inform users that the company would no longer inspect private information in email accounts, even in cases where Microsoft’s own intellectual property might have been stolen.
Of course, Smith’s appearance isn’t just happenstance. Microsoft is currently fighting an order from the government which would give government officials access to a customer’s email account in Dublin.
“We are in a business that relies on people’s trust,” said Smith. “We’re offering a world where you should feel comfortable about storing (your information) in the cloud…You need to have confidence that this information is still yours.”
