PhotoCongress is now considering long-overdue legislation that authorizes faster access to internationally stored electronic data needed to prosecute serious crime and disrupt terrorist plots in the United States, Britain and elsewhere. The legislation, the Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use of Data Act, or Cloud Act, would preserve law and order, advance the United States’ leadership in cybersecurity, ease restrictions on American businesses and enhance privacy standards globally. American efforts to investigate crime and terrorism are increasingly impeded by a lack of access to data stored outside the country, even when it is held by companies subject to United States jurisdiction. To make matters worse, a case at the United States Supreme Court could leave our governments and others with no effective way to obtain vital evidence of serious crimes. Advertisement Continue reading the main storyThese agreements would not apply to foreign judicial orders directed at American citizens, or anyone in the United States, for that matter.

Source: New York Times February 14, 2018 16:30 UTC