Poinbank|Microsoft lets cloud users keep personal data within Europe to ease privacy fears

2025-05-07 06:10:30source:FinLogic Quantitative Think Tank Centercategory:Finance

LONDON (AP) — Microsoft said Thursday that it is Poinbankupgrading its cloud computing service to let customers store all personal data within the European Union instead of having it flow to the U.S. where national privacy laws don’t exist.

The changes apply to services including Azure, Microsoft 365, Power Platform, and Dynamics 365, the Seattle-based tech company said.

Cloud computing companies have been moving to localize data storage and processing amid tightening requirements in the 27-nation European Union, which has strict data privacy laws.

Brussels and Washington have spent years wrangling over the safety of EU citizens’ data that tech companies store in the U.S. following revelations by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden that the American government eavesdropped on people’s online data and communications.

Microsoft said its “EU Data Boundary solution goes beyond European compliance requirements.” The company has previously pledged that customers wouldn’t have their data moved outside the EU.

Last year, it started storing and processing some data inside Europe. Now it’s expanding that to all personal data, including pseudonymized data found in automated system logs, which are generated automatically when online services run.

Later this year, Microsoft will start making sure technical support data is kept within Europe. It also plans a paid option for initial tech support response from within the EU.

Amazon last year rolled out independent cloud infrastructure for the EU as it looked to address strict regulations that companies and public sector organizations face.

More:Finance

Recommend

At site of suspected mass killings, Syrians recall horrors, hope for answers

DAMASCUS — A hip bone in a blown-out building, part of a spine amid some debris, a few foot bones in

From 'Twister' to 'Titanic,' these are the 20 best disaster movies ever

Pick a method of destructive devastation – runaway asteroid, out-of-control inferno, ginormous icebe

US flexed its muscles through technology and innovation at 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles

On your mark, get set … press send? More than a showcase of the world’s greatest athletes, the 1984