Microsoft battles U.S. authorities who want access to foreign-stored data

You can call it Goliath vs. Goliath. 

Microsoft is set to face a battle with U.S. authorities who want access to data stored outside of the country. The Supreme Court will hear arguments on Tuesday on whether the Department of Justice can force U.S. companies to hand over foreign-stored data. 

The result will have implications for tech companies that already store data around the world, as privacy advocates and governments once again face-off for the rights of internet users and law enforcement.

The case began in 2013, when the U.S. government issued a warrant ordering Microsoft to hand over the contents of an email account. Authorities suspected it was being used to facilitate drug trafficking, the data of which was stored on a Microsoft server in Dublin, Ireland. Read more...