• by Ray Schultz , May 23, 2018

Microsoft will observe the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) not only in Europe but throughout the globe.  

The tech giant will “extend the rights that are at the heart of GDPR to all of our consumer customers worldwide,” according to Julie Brill, corporate vice president and deputy general counsel for Microsoft, writing in a Monday blog post.

“As an EU regulation, GDPR creates important new rights specifically for individuals in the European Union,” Brill states. “But we believe GDPR establishes important principles that are relevant globally.” 

These include “the right to know what data we collect about you, to correct that data, to delete it and even to take it somewhere else,” Brill explains. “Our privacy dashboard gives users the tools they need to take control of their data.

Unlike a recent statement by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Brill’s post does not infer that there may be variations in the way GDPR’s principles are applied in different markets.

As part of this effort, Microsoft has published an updated privacy statement. And it is promising to help clients “become trusted stewards of their customers’ data.”

Brill writes that “for most companies, it will simply be more efficient and less expensive to host their data in the Microsoft Cloud where we can help them protect their customers’ data and maintain GDPR compliance,” Brill argues.

Brill notes that Microsoft has been “advocating for national privacy legislation in the United States since 2005. 

She adds, “We’re encourage that some other the companies are starting to endorse the need to address this issue as well.”

As a policy, Microsoft believes that  “privacy is a fundamental human right,” Brill goes on. “As people live more of their lives online and depend more on technology to operate their businesses, engage with friends and family, pursue opportunities, and manage their health and finances, the protection of this right is becoming more important than ever.”