Microsoft founder Bill Gates endorsed privacy regulations for tech companies in an interview that aired Sunday.

"The notion that there will be privacy regulation, that makes a lot of sense," he told "Fox News Sunday."

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"The notion that this ability to identify anyone, that we’re going to think about how do businesses get to use that and how does the government use that? It makes a lot of sense," he added.

The push for federal laws to regulate privacy has gained momentum as tech companies such as Facebook and Google have faced scrutiny for their gathering and handling of users' personal data.

Gates said during the "Fox News Sunday" interview that the government "should be talking to these companies about what they do" and suggested that tech executives "start a dialogue" with government officials.

"I didn’t have an office in Washington, D.C. I thought that was a good thing and I even bragged about it," Gates said, referencing his time as an executive at Microsoft.

"I later came to regret that, so these — I’m sure these guys are learning better than I did, that they need to come back here and start a dialogue and there will be new types of regulation for these companies," he added.