PATRIOT Act Continues To Harm US Businesses: BAE Refuses To Use MS Cloud Over PATRIOT Act Fears
from the how-is-that-helping dept
Following on recent reports that, under the PATRIOT Act, European companies that use Microsoft's cloud offerings in Europe might find their data subject to US government snooping and seizure, it appears that some rather large European companies are rethinking their cloud deployment plans. UK defense contracting giant BAE had apparently planned to start using Microsoft Office 365, until it was pointed out that this could make their documents subject to US snooping under the PATRIOT Act... and the company changed its plans. At what point do PATRIOT Act supporters realize that such broad provisions don't help the US at all, but only lead to situations like this, where business is driven elsewhere.Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
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Filed Under: cloud, europe, patriot act, privacy, us
Companies: bae, microsoft
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The US deliberately destroying their own economy...
I mean, why should the US government have any right to access our data? No such right should exist for any government anywhere. That's just insane.
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I'm afraid the only reason the US government wants access isn't to prevent terrorism but rather because they are scared of their own citizens after all the crap they've pulled over security and privacy violations. Just because you've written and passed a law does not make it compatible with the citizens.
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Re: Spending holidays in the USA
If you have to travel to the USA at all, then the recommendation by business groups is to travel with wiped electronic devices or none at all. In either case the data will only be obtained after you made it out of the airport through encrypted connections to your servers at home. That is a major hassle but almost the only way you can prevent your data being siphoned off or you thrown into jail (though that seems more a British problem IIRC) until you hand out the password for those encrypted disks.
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The Other Side of Responsibility
Abolishing the Act is the best course of action, but if we can't do that, here's an idea: a federal fund to cover the costs, financially at least, of rebuilding your whole fucking life after you get out if no charges are files against you. Based upon your most recent tax return, adjusted for inflating, etc, enough to fund at least 2 years of your previous life without a job.
That, or rather than spending the untold millions on a system like this, we could just go back to the constitution that worked so well for over 270 years. Just a thought.
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Why Not Encrypted?
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Almost all of this came to pass following the passage of the PATRIOT Act. Until then law enforcement on both sides of the line co-operated and shared data as needed for investigations, business data was freely shared as was most other data. It only made sense to. It doesn't anymore. Add that to lengthy border wait times and an increase in hostile US Customs agents Canadians are electing to stay home, as are Americans who actually need a passport to return back to the country they're citizens of.
Goods and services are harder to get across the border in both directions and both federal governments are tearing their hair on out to repair a trading pattern built on easily crossed borders in both directions, which is no longer the case.
So no, it's not good for business for the United States. Nor is it good for international business. Everybody loses.
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Better safe that sorry.
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Habeas Corpus
You even hear stories of how vans pulled by road tractors ( semis ) are X-rayed weekly.
Likely you didn't realize foreign nationals are at an automatic disadvantage in a U.S. court even without the b.s. 'fight against a tactic'....which is not accomplished by pioneering ever greater examples of implementing it.
I've stayed out of the prison to the south for several years now....and I grew up walking across the border almost as if it wasn't there.
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oh - look there's another.
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