Supreme Court Wrestles With Microsoft Data Privacy Fight (reuters.com)

Supreme Court justices on Tuesday wrestled with Microsoft's dispute with the U.S. Justice Department over whether prosecutors can force technology companies to hand over data stored overseas, with some signaling support for the government and others urging Congress to pass a law to resolve the issue. From a report: Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito, both conservatives, hinted during an hour-long argument in the case at support for the Justice Department's stance that because Microsoft is based in the United States it was obligated to turn over data sought by prosecutors in a U.S. warrant. As the nine justices grappled with the technological complexities of email data storage, liberals Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor questioned whether the court needed to act in the data privacy case in light of Congress now considering bipartisan legislation that would resolve the legal issue. A ruling is due by the end of June.

Comments

Re:Will kill US companies operating globally ...

[BlueStrat]

Sorry, America, but you can't have it both ways.

Unfortunately for the entire world, America has always been able to do so in the past, so they see no reason not to continue doing so.

American law applies worldwide, all other laws stop at the US border. The only real question is, how far will the rest of the world let that go before they start to push back? so far most of the rest of the world tends to just roll over and let the US have their way. I don't anticipate that to continue forever though.

What would be interesting is if the court orders MS-US to comply and the Irish government sends in police and seizes control of MS-IRL's severs, data-storage, and facilities.

Or, less dramatically, the Irish government simply says they will arrest and prosecute anyone at MS-IRL who attempts to comply with the illegal US order and seek to extradite MS-US persons who issue such an illegal order and the judge(s) that created the illegal order to likewise prosecute them as well.

This could get quite popcorn-worthy.

Strat