Judge reprimands Microsoft for refusing to hand over emails

Microsoft has been reprimanded by a New York judge for continuing to refuse to provide e-mail data stored in Europe to the US government. Microsoft has indicated that it wants to wait for an appeal first.

At the end of August, the same judge ruled in a court order that Microsoft still had to transfer a customer’s email data stored in Ireland. Microsoft refused to provide data from the webmail account, because it believes that existing legislation cannot oblige it to provide customer data from another country. The company then indicated that it would appeal against the verdict and will not provide the e-mail details pending a new verdict.

Following Microsoft’s refusal, the judge has now reprimanded Microsoft, Bloomberg writes. Microsoft says it has deliberately directed a reprimand because the software giant believes that the appeal can be settled faster. The judge did not impose a penalty on Microsoft in addition to the legal reprimand.

Microsoft believes that the US government can only claim customer data from Ireland if the US enters into a treaty with Ireland that legally regulates the exchange of such information. Lawyers for the US government argue that they are entitled to the data, because this is regulated in the so-called Stored Communications Act.