Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Microsoft Putting Servers In Germany To Keep User Data Away From US Intelligence (techcrunch.com)

Posted by Soulskill on from the chickens-leaving-home-to-roost dept.

An anonymous reader writes: Ever since the Snowden leaks, people and businesses in foreign countries have been wary about hosting sensitive data on U.S. soil for fear intelligence agencies would be able to comb through it at their leisure. Microsoft has announced a plan to combat those worries, saying they will host infrastructure for Azure, Office 365, and Dynamics CRM at data centers in Germany. In addition, the data centers themselves will not be run by Microsoft, but by a subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom, which eliminates more legal avenues for U.S. agencies to access the data stored there. "The two data centers will be based in Magdeburg and Frankfurt am Main, with Microsoft stressing this 'data trustee' model means it will not have any access to customer data without the consent of the trustee, and that it cannot therefore be compelled — 'even by a third party' — to hand over customer data."

5 of 173 comments (clear)

  1. From one Lion's Den into another by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    This just in... German authorities access data on behalf of USA in accordance with intel sharing agreements.

    1. Re:From one Lion's Den into another by EmagGeek · · Score: 3, Informative

      Don't pay much attention to the news, do you?

      https://www.rt.com/news/256729...

  2. Not smart by gatkinso · · Score: 1, Informative

    The NSA is allowed to spy on foreign entities. That is their mission.

    Soon, they will be barred from spying on US assets.

    However in reality - they will continue to spy on everyone and everything.

    --
    I am very small, utmostly microscopic.
  3. Re:Uhm, I hate to break the bad news by Crowd+Computing · · Score: 2, Informative

    But just today all news sites over Germany reported that the German BND (the direct successor of the Nazi "Organization Gehlen") has been spying on allies, too, including France and German(!) diplomats.

    I can't see the point of your Nazi reference. The Federal Republic of Germany can also be considered the direct successor of Nazi Germany. It's probably more accurate to describe the Gehlen as a CIA program that recruited former members of the Nazi military in much the same way that the US military and later the space program used scientists who were active in the German war effort.

  4. Re:Very conveniently situated... by Shatrat · · Score: 3, Informative

    'Excellent connectivity' is an understatement. Frankfurt is the largest internet exchange in the world by bandwidth.
    https://www.peeringdb.com/priv...
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

    --
    09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0