A federal judge has ordered Microsoft to hand over emails stored on servicers in Ireland involving a US warrant in a drugs case. Microsoft had argued that email stored on computer servers outside the US could not be obtained through warrants as they are not applicable outside the US. The ruling, by US District Judge Loreta Preska in Manhatten, found that if the servers are run by Microsoft, which is a US company, it does not matter where they are located. Brad Smith, Microsoft's general counsel, wrote an article in the Wall Street Journal saying that the key question is whether customer emails belong to the customer or both the customer and the company which runs the email service.