AI data security starts with controlling access to your crown jewels

Recent events have reinforced a foundational truth of modern data security: data privacy is only as strong as the systems that control access to encryption keys.

A clear example came to light in January, when reporting revealed that Microsoft provided the FBI with BitLocker recovery keys, allowing law enforcement to unlock data that users believed was fully encrypted and private. The keys were accessible because users had agreed to automatically back it up to the cloud provider’s environment by default – a design choice optimized for convenience, not customer sovereignty.

This moment is particularly relevant during International Data Privacy Week, a global reminder that protecting sensitive data is not just a regulatory obligation, but a trust imperative. As organizations reflect on how they collect, access, and protect data an important question emerges:

Who controls the keys to your most valuable data assets?

Convenience vs. control

The Microsoft BitLocker case is ...