Microsoft: The US has fallen far behind the rest of the world in privacy protection

Microsoft recently highlighted that the US has fallen far behind the rest of the world in privacy protection. Microsoft specifically mentioned that the US lacks a strong national privacy law. Two years ago, the EU adopted GPDR to improve data privacy situation in their region. Since then, many countries including Brazil, India, Japan, Kenya, South Africa, South Korea and Thailand, have adopted, revised or proposed new frameworks for privacy protection. Microsoft pointed out that over 130 countries and jurisdictions have enacted privacy laws. Unfortunately, the US is missing in the list.

“As countries around the world pursue new legal frameworks, global standards are being developed without U.S. involvement. In contrast to the role our country has traditionally played on global issues, the U.S. is not leading, or even participating in, the discussion over common privacy norms,” wrote Julie Brill, Corporate Vice President for Global Privacy and Regulatory Affairs and Chief Privacy Officer.

Microsoft urged the US government to create a strong privacy legislation with following four principles:

• Transparency about how companies collect, use and share personal information. Consumers are clamoring to understand what data companies have and how they will interact with it
• Consumer empowerment that guarantees the right of individuals to access, correct, delete and move personal information
• Corporate responsibility that requires companies to be good stewards of consumer information
• Strong enforcement through a strong central regulator and vigilant state’s attorneys general offices that have the authority and funding to enforce the laws and take action to hold violators accountable

You can read the full blog post by Microsoft in the source link below.

Source: Microsoft