Mr Smith, who has taken a high-profile communications role on the issue as Microsoft's general counsel, has called for the convention to be created and charged 'with the task of creating surveillance and data-access rules across borders to protect privacy and businesses', according to the Business Standard. Part of the problem, he says, is that the world community is relying on outdated legal processes which were designed over 100 years ago to deal with the issues.Mr Smith also announced that Microsoft will let US customers have their data stored on servers outside the US, as a way of avoiding surveillance in the US. Source: Business Standard