The European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) today (11 March) found that the European Commission violated data protection rules in its use of Microsoft 365.

The EDPS is an independent authority for personal data protection in EU institutions.

The EDPS claims the Commission infringed the EU’s data protection law by not ensuring protection for personal data transferred outside the EU.

The Commission’s contract with Microsoft lacked specificity on the types of personal data collected and its purpose.

The EDPS has ordered the Commission to halt data to Microsoft 365 and its affiliates in non-EU countries. The Commission has until December 2024, to bring its operations into compliance.

Corrective measures include ensuring explicit data collection purposes, and compliance with data protection regulations.

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The investigation, which began in May 2021, focuses on the Commission’s compliance with EDPS recommendations on Microsoft’s products and services.

The corrective measures include suspension of data flows, bringing processing into compliance, and issuing a reprimand to the Commission for various infringements.

EDPS says the Commission failed to ensure purpose limitation, proper safeguarding of data transfers outside the EU, and prevention of unauthorised disclosures of personal data.