Facebook mess: Microsoft fears more regulations for tech cos

Global tech major Microsoft fears an increase in regulations for the sector following the privacy issues that have engulfed Facebook, but said tools like blockchain can help take care of concerns.

"All the signals say that there will probably be more regulations in the industry and our job is to comply with the regulations," its executive vice-president for business development Peggy Johnson told PTI.

Johnson, who reports to the company's India-born chief executive Satya Nadella, said the Redmond, US-based corporation has always been "principalled" about privacy, and affirmed its commitment to keep the individuals' data secure.

"Our belief is that our customer's data is their data. it is our job to help keep it secure for them," she said.

To illustrate the increase in regulations, Johnson, who was in Mumbai on Monday, cited the example of Europe which has introduced the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) regime, which tech companies have to adhere to.

It can be noted that following the revelations that data of over 50 million Facebook users could have been illegally accessed for influencing electoral results by the London-based consultancy Cambridge Analytica, the social network had volunteered to be regulated more closely.

Johnson said technology alone can help overcome the present set of worries which allegedly owe its genesis to misuse of the technology itself.

"Technology can actually help the problem that is surfacing now. Things like blockchain can be a part of the solution here, because it is transparent, it is secure... It can actually be a part of the solution to some of these concerns that are being raised by the regulators," she said, adding her company is already building on such solutions through its cloud platform Azure.

She said the company has been working on cybersecurity and has helped as many as 125 Indian companies with protecting their data since launching the offering in mid-2016 through a dedicated centre that works closely with academia as well.