Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella bats for global regulation on privacy

Describing privacy as a human right, MicrosoftCEO Satya Nadella on Tuesday said he was hoping for a global regulation on safety and privacy of data that would make sure that tech products and services are safe to use.

In a virtual interactive session with Telangana IT and Industries Minister KT Rama Rao at BioAsia 2021, Nadella said the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated digital transformation across the globe.

"So I look forward to a world where we do have, just after all we have food safety laws, we have drug safety laws, there will be similarly I think rules and regulations (on data). Hopefully, there is a global norm around," he said replying to query on whether the security and privacy concerns can be regulated.

"One thing that I would hope for is that we don't fragment. We are able to, whether on privacy or safety, bring together a set of global rules that will allow all of us to comply and make sure that we know what we build is safe to use," Nadella said.

He said regulations were in place and initiatives such as General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) were spreading worldwide.

Nadella suggested companies should design and build products keeping in mind the privacy of the user and that no lackadaisical attitude in this regard should be tolerated.

Citing instances pertaining to patients' healthcare data, he said it should ultimately benefit the infirm.

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More flexibility

On the post-pandemic working conditions, he said the situation has pushed for more flexibility in terms of work sites and collaboration.

"I think collaboration, learning, and well-being are fundamentally the things that [will] transform how we think about work while giving people lot more flexibility," he said.

The startup category had already shown tremendous potential in bringing in digital enablement in the medical industry and it was not just benefiting any specific segment but every possible individual in the country across cities and villages, Nadella added.