The Reach of Federal Warrants - The Microsoft Case

Criminal Law & Procedure Practice Group Teleforum

Last December, Microsoft filed a brief with the Federal Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York to prevent the U.S. Department of Justice from seizing a customer’s data stored in Dublin, Ireland. It’s a case that raises important questions about the right of Americans to know what the government and companies are doing with sensitive electronic data. How do we ensure accountability both to the law through reasonable regulation, and to the courts through effective judicial review? The case also raises questions about the rights of people in other countries. Will they continue to have their privacy rights protected by their own laws? Anticipating a world where every device is a connected device, these are but a few of the important questions raised by this case regarding the future of privacy and regulations going forward.

• James M. Garland, Partner, Covington & Burling LLP
• David Howard, Corporate Vice President & Deputy General Counsel, Microsoft

Last December, Microsoft filed a brief with the Federal Court of Appeals or the Second Circuit in New York to prevent the U.S. Department of Justice from seizing a customer’s data stored in Dublin, Ireland. It’s a case that raises important questions about the right of Americans to know what the government and companies are doing with sensitive electronic data. How do we ensure accountability both to the law through reasonable regulation, and to the courts through effective judicial review? The case also raises questions about the rights of people in other countries. Will they continue to have their privacy rights protected by their own laws? Anticipating a world where every device is a connected device, these are but a few of the important questions raised by this case regarding the future of privacy and regulations going forward.

• James M. Garland, Partner, Covington & Burling LLP
• David Howard, Corporate Vice President & Deputy General Counsel, Microsoft

Call begins at 12:00 noon Eastern Time.

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