Microsoft top lawyer urges law to protect 'cloud'

Congress should enact a law laying the groundwork for protecting consumers who use the Internet "cloud" to store data before states come in with an unwieldy patchwork of conflicting legislation, said Microsoft General Counsel Brad Smith on Wednesday.

Smith, who said Microsoft had invested "billions" to build a cloud infrastructure, called for federal laws that would would improve privacy protections and strengthen law enforcement in going after hackers.

He also urged companies building massive amounts of remote storage for data -- which is essentially what the cloud is -- to be upfront with consumers about how their photos, email and other data in the cloud might be used and what measures are being taken to fend off hackers and thieves.