Lawful Government Access to Data

Law enforcement agencies all over the world seek evidence for use in criminal cases. This is core to the function they play in government and in society. Sometimes the investigative trail they follow leads them to potential evidence that is located overseas. The challenge for law enforcement in these cases is that they need a way to compel the production of evidence from people that are not subject to their local legal jurisdiction. Put another way, the domestic legal mechanisms that law enforcement agencies use to collect evidence in their country won’t be sufficient by themselves to enable investigators to collect evidence that is located in other countries. This challenge for law enforcement isn’t a new one. Criminals have sought to cover their tracks and subvert legal processes by crossing jurisdictional boundaries for centuries. This challenge is exasperated in a world where data can be transmitted across International legal boundaries...