Peter Fleischer writes:
[…]
Seen from a global perspective, it’s important to realize that most governments around the world are accessing user data. It’s not just one or two governments. I can’t count the number of times privacy advocates in Europe have warned users that the US government could potentially access their data in the cloud, without mentioning the risks that their own governments could do the same thing. In fact, to take the French example, the French government is trying to launch a “French cloud”, explicitly to try to evade US government surveillance, even though this taxpayer-funded initiative is based on “bad assumptions about cloud computing and the Patriot Act“, and even though France’s own anti-terrorism law “has been said to make the Patriot Act look “namby-pamby by comparison”, as reported on ZDNet. I think it’s fair to assume that most people would be far more uncomfortable with foreign governments, rather than their own governments, accessing their data. That points to one of the hardest issues in the cloud, namely, that multiple governments can (and do) have the power to demand access to user data, if they follow appropriate legal procedures.
Read more on Peter Fleischer: Privacy…?
I think it’s fair to assume that most people would be far more uncomfortable with foreign governments, rather than their own governments, accessing their data.
That is correct, your government is accountable, but the US is not, which is why we need to bar them from accessing our data full stop.
I’m not convinced any government is truly accountable even to its own people. And I think I’d have more confidence in some other countries if their govt were to access my data than I would in my own country!
In an ideal world, none of our information would be accessed by ANY government, but I do agree with the article where the majority do trust their own government albeit slightly more than that of a foreign entity. I think it speaks for itself really.
I appreciate what you and Peter are saying and it’s probably true for most people, but I’d worry more about what my govt might do with my emails and DM’s, etc. than what France or another country could possibly do with them. But my mind does not work in normal ways. 🙂
I also understand your point, I think I am starting to trust any government outside of my country (UK) than my own government, with the exception of the USA, (obvious reasons apply there). EU country governments seem more trustworthy since they can’t order arrests or apply for wiretaps, however since the introduction of the EU arrest warrant, I’m not so sure I can trust any EU government anymore.