Microsoft might be toying with European data protection compliance

The European Data Protection Supervisor has raised ‘serious concerns’ over whether Microsoft is compliant with data protection regulations.

The contracts in question are between the software giant and various European Union institutions which are making use of said products. The central issue is whether contractual terms are compliant with data protection laws intended to protect individual rights across the region from foreign bodies which do not hold data protection to the same standards.

“Though the investigation is still ongoing, preliminary results reveal serious concerns over the compliance of the relevant contractual terms with data protection rules and the role of Microsoft as a processor for EU institutions using its products and services,” a statement reads.

“Similar risk assessments were carried out by the Dutch Ministry of Justice and Security confirmed that public authorities in the Member States face similar issues.”

The preliminary findings from the European Data Protection Supervisor follow on from investigations taking place in the Netherlands and also changes to the Microsoft privacy policies for its VoIP product Skype and AI assistant Cortana. The changes were seemingly a knee-jerk reaction to reports contractors were listening to audio clips to improve translations and the accuracy of inferences.

What is worth noting is that Microsoft is not the only company which has been bending the definition of privacy with regard to contractors and audio clips. Amazon and Google have also been dragged into the hazy definition of privacy and consent.

The issue which seems to be at the heart of this investigation is one of arm’s length. While government authorities and agencies might hand-over responsibility of data protection and privacy compliance to the cloud companies, the European Data Protection Supervisor is suggesting more scrutiny and oversight should be applied by said government parties.

Once again, the definition and extent of privacy principles are causing problems. Europe takes a much more stringent stance on the depth of privacy, as well as the rights which are affording to individuals, than other regions around the world. Ensuring the rights of European citizens are extended elsewhere was one of the primary objectives of the GDPR, though it seems there are still teething problems.

“When using the products and services of IT service providers, EU institutions outsource the processing of large amounts of personal data,” the statement continues.

“Nevertheless, they remain accountable for any processing activities carried out on their behalf. They must assess the risks and have appropriate contractual and technical safeguards in place to mitigate those risks. The same applies to all controllers operating within the EEA.”

One development which could result in additional scrutiny is The Hague Forum, an initiative to create standardised contracts for European member states which meet the baseline data protection and privacy conditions set forward. The European Data Protection Supervisor has encouraged all European institutions to join the Forum.

Although GDPR was seen as a headache for many companies around the world, such statements from the European Data Protection Supervisor proves this is not an area which can simply be addressed once and then forgotten. GDPR was supposed to set a baseline, and there will be more regulation to build further protections. Perhaps the fact that Microsoft is seemingly non-compliant with current regulations justifies the introduction of more rules and red-tape.