Microsoft commits to extending EU's GDPR privacy rights worldwide

On May 25, the European Union's (EU) new data privacy regulations will go into effect, bringing with them new rights for consumers. Known as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the rules are intended to give consumers more control over how their data is used.

Along with other tech companies, Microsoft has been working to make sure it complies with the new regulations. And though the rules only apply to residents of the EU, Microsoft this week announced it is taking things a step further by extending the rights granted by GDPR to its users around the world.

From Microsoft:

We've been advocating for national privacy legislation in the United States since 2005. We're encouraged that some other tech companies are starting to endorse the need to address this issue as well. While debate about how to protect data privacy continues in the U.S., we're committed to moving forward now to take concrete steps to help strengthen people's privacy protection.

That's why today we are announcing that we will extend the rights that are at the heart of GDPR to all of our consumer customers worldwide. Known as Data Subject Rights, they include the right to know what data we collect about you, to correct that data, to delete it and even to take it somewhere else. Our privacy dashboard{.nofollow} gives users the tools they need to take control of their data.

Along with extending GDPR rights to all of its users, Microsoft has updated its privacy statement to reflect the move.

The move is an important one, as Microsoft has received criticism in the past over the telemetry data it collects as part of Windows 10. The company has made strides in making its handling of customer data more transparent and giving Windows 10 users more control over what is collected.