EU institutions' Microsoft and Amazon cloud service usage under investigation

Amazon and Microsoft are being put under the microscope.

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What you need to know

The European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) has launched two investigations concerning EU institutions' usage of Amazon and Microsoft cloud services. Both the services themselves and the contracts associated with them have sparked concerns that Europeans' data is being freely given to the United States, which presents a surveillance and security risk for the EU.

As reported byReuters, the EDPS launched its investigations as a result of contracts linked to Amazon and Microsoft. These U.S.-based companies are subject to U.S. legislation, and as a result, deals with them open up foreign parties and their associated data to the threat of surveillance.

One of the investigations will specifically target “the use of Microsoft Office 365 by the European Commission,” according to the EDPS.

It’s no secret thatMicrosoft and the U.S. governmenthave close ties with one another, especially since the Pentagon itself and Microsoft’s cloud services have been interlinked ever since the pair’s massiveJEDI dealwas struck. The implication for foreign bodies, then, is clear: Dealing with a U.S. company that has such a good relationship with the United States government, a government known for its intense surveillance practices,entails risks— risks the EDPS apparently isn’t keen on tolerating.

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Robert Carnevale is the News Editor for Windows Central. He’s a big fan of Kinect (it lives on in his heart), Sonic the Hedgehog, and the legendary intersection of those two titans, Sonic Free Riders. He is the author ofCold War 2395. Have a useful tip? Send it to robert.carnevale@futurenet.com.