He admits there are cases when this can’t be done, though

Apr 19, 2016 08:21 GMT  ·  By

Microsoft filed a lawsuit against the US government, asking a judge to rule in its favor and allow the company to inform customers whenever law enforcement agencies make requests to access their data stored in the cloud.

And while the software giant has already received support from the biggest privacy advocates around the world, company founder Bill Gates is probably the most important name that can take Microsoft’s side in this important dispute.

“Striking the perfect balance”

In a statement at a Reuters Newsmaker event in Washington, Bill Gates has explained that Microsoft is right when it claims that customers must be notified whenever the government analyzes their data. However, he admits that there are cases when this shouldn’t happen. He describes these cases as “extraordinary,” and calls for further discussions to find a balance between privacy and national security.

“There probably are some cases where (the government) should be able to go in covertly and get information about a company’s email,” Gates goes on to say. “But the position Microsoft is taking in this suit is that it should be extraordinary and it shouldn’t be a matter of course that there is a gag order automatically put in.”

Gates further explains that striking the perfect balance on government access to private data isn’t the kind of thing that can be done overnight and adds that privacy advocates and tech companies, on one side, and law enforcement agencies, on the other, must continue talks on this topic.

“I don’t think there are any absolutists who think the government should be able to get everything or the government should be able to get nothing,” Bill Gates points out.

Microsoft’s lawsuit against the US government comes at a time when Apple is also fighting Uncle Sam in a dispute that involves the hacking of iPhones used in criminal activities. Apple refuses to help the government on privacy grounds while the latter points to national security as a reason to do it. Also in this case, Apple is asking for further talks for the same balance between customer privacy and national security.