It is now illegal for schools in the German state of Hesse to use Microsoft’s Office 365 productivity software thanks to a ruling by the state’s Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (HBDI), who recently declared that the cloud-based platform violates German privacy laws because it exposes students and teachers’ personal information to “possible access by U.S. authorities.” The HBDI’s decision is a striking example of how overly restrictive privacy laws can leave European consumers worse off by making valuable technology off limits.
Read the full article in The Local.
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