Microsoft to Extend California Privacy Protections Across U.S.

Microsoft Corp. said it will extend the “core rights” in California’s new privacy law to customers across the U.S. and called for legislators to go further than the state provisions, which have sparked concern in industries from technology to retail.

The announcement on Monday by the software giant comes as tech companies and trade groups are calling for a national privacy law that would coordinate rules nationwide and override state statutes like California’s, potentially in favor of weaker protections.

The Redmond, Washington-based company has increasingly made policy concessions that other companies have resisted -- though often on issues that primarily ...