Microsoft lays out data protection plans for European cloud customers
FILE PHOTO: A Microsoft sign is pictured at a trade fair in Hannover Messe, in Hanover, Germany, April 22, 2024. REUTERS/Annegret Hilse/File Photo
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) -Microsoft on Monday said data stored by its European cloud customers would stay in Europe, under European Law, with operations controlled by its local personnel, and under full control of customers.
European companies and governments have been increasingly worrying about their data being moved outside the continent into the hands of other countries such as the U.S., pushing the American companies such as Microsoft to announce safeguards.
Microsoft in April laid out plans to protect user data as it expands its cloud and AI infrastructure in Europe, including respecting European laws seeking to rein in the power of large technology companies.
On Monday, the company said all remote access by Microsoft engineers to the systems that store and process European data would be approved and monitored by European resident personnel in real-time.
Microsoft said its sovereign private cloud is in preview mode currently and will be generally available later this year.
(Reporting by Supantha Mukherjee in Stockholm; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)
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