Government of Ireland, European MEP file amicus briefs in New York privacy case

This year one of our priorities has been to advocate for policies that ensure people around the world can trust technology. Keeping this trust is not only important for global technology companies, but vital for ensuring people everywhere can use technology with confidence.

One important aspect of ensuring this trust is for likeminded governments to agree on basic principles for sharing data across borders while respecting local privacy laws. The past few days have been important in this effort. This is because the Government of Ireland and a member of the European Parliament weighed in separately with the court considering our case challenging a U.S. search warrant for customer email stored in Ireland.

The Irish government’s engagement underscores that an international dialogue on this issue is not only necessary but possible. We’ve long argued that it’s best for law enforcement to move forward in a way that respects people’s rights under their local laws. We’re grateful that government voices have now joined those of leading companies, advocacy organizations and academic experts.

Ireland and members of the European Parliament have a unique and important perspective to bring to the case. The warrant at issue operates as the exercise of U.S. law enforcement authority on Irish territory, something that can be done only with the consent of the Irish government. As the briefs note, there is an existing mutual legal assistance treaty between Ireland and the U.S. that the U.S. can use to obtain the email.

We’re also grateful these briefs reiterate the commitments of U.S. allies to being constructive partners with the U.S., helping to investigate crimes and keep communities safe while respecting privacy as well.

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