DHAKA: The US government cannot force Microsoft to give authorities access to the firm’s servers located in other countries, a court has ruled.

The decision is being seen as a precedent for protecting the privacy of cloud computing services, reports the BBC.

The US Department of Justice had wanted to access a server in Ireland, as part of an investigation into a drugs case.

The ruling, made by an appeals court, overturns an order granted by a court in Manhattan in 2014.

The DoJ said it was disappointed by the decision and was considering what it would do next. If it appeals, the case would then move to the US Supreme Court.

Microsoft said it welcomed the ruling.

“As a global company we’ve long recognized that if people around the world are to trust the technology they use, they need to have confidence that their personal information will be protected by the laws of their own country.”

The company thanked the companies that had backed its appeal, which included the likes of Amazon, Apple and Cisco.

Another of Microsoft’s backers was the Open Rights Group, a UK-based organisation that campaigns for digital rights.

“The US Court’s decision has upheld the right to individual privacy in the face of the US State’s intrusion into personal liberty,” the group's legal director Myles Jackman said on Thursday (July 14).

Microsoft had warned that allowing the search warrant to be conducted could open up a global privacy “free for all”. Other countries, the company said, would perhaps seek to apply their own search warrants to servers located in the US.

Echoing a constant concern of those in tech industry, Microsoft said the laws were simply too outdated to be effective.

BDST: 1611 HRS, JUL 15, 2016
BD