Microsoft bats for cross-border data flow, says international law needed

Tech giant Microsoft Thursday batted for cross-border data flows but asserted that the same needs to be protected through suitable international measures and standards both legal and technical.

Microsoft India Group Head and Assistant General Counsel Corporate, External and Legal Affairs Keshav Dhakad said India's IT sector companies, tech startups and developers may need access to data not just within the country but also beyond geopolitical borders to build robust solutions and algorithms - predicating the need for a regime that supports cross-border data flows.

"At the same time, it is important to protect these flows through appropriate international measures and standards both legal and technical," he pointed out.

Dhakad added that local laws will also need to be interoperable with global standards or contracts that protect personal data regardless of its location.

Data processing companies, he said, would have to ensure that the personal data they process is managed according to a high level of data protection, regardless of the location to which the data is transferred and provide citizens recourse to the law in case of a breach of trust.