Customers will have to pay extra for the German storage

Nov 11, 2015 10:54 GMT  ·  By

Microsoft’s getting ready to take the fight with the United States government over user data to a completely new level, as the company is ready to turn to data centers in Germany in order to block American agencies from snooping in on customers.

CEO Satya Nadella announced at a press conference in Berlin that Microsoft would operate new data centers in the country with help from Deutsche Telekom, which basically means that a German company will be in charge of information stored on German servers, so any inquiry to access user details is subjected to local laws.

Microsoft is one of the companies fighting against the United States government’s struggle to access customer data stored overseas, with one particular case still ongoing. US intelligence agencies are seeking information about a Microsoft customer whose information is stored on Irish servers, but Redmond has denied the request, claiming that a search warrant issued by the United States is only valid in the country and cannot be used in any other state.

While a verdict in this case is not yet ready, moving to Germany and joining forces with a local company surely helps, but on the other hand, it could trigger a series of consequences not only directly aimed at itself but also at other cloud service providers in the United States.

Data centers to open in late 2016

Google and Amazon, for instance, might be forced to take similar steps if their customers ask them to, as opening new data centers in Europe could certainly help protect their privacy. It’s not a secret that the European Union is far more concerned with users’ privacy than the United States, and Germany excels in terms of protection offered to customer data.

But storing data on Microsoft’s servers in Germany won’t be free. Customers will have to pay for this, FT writes, citing CEO Satya Nadella.

“These new data center regions will enable customers to use the full power of Microsoft’s cloud in Germany… and ensure that a German company retains control of the data” Satya Nadella was quoted as saying.

Certainly, the United States won’t be happy with Microsoft’s decision to move data to Germany, so expect some pretty harsh reactions in the next months. T-Systems, subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom, will be in charge of two data centers in Germany that will open in late 2016, so absolutely all data requests will be sent to the German company and will have to comply with local regulations.