Potential Consequences of NSA spying to Ireland / Europe

The senior counsel for the Irish Supreme Court wrote in a recent filing that a US-Ireland "Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty" was the "efficient" avenue (PDF) for the US government to obtain the e-mail held on Microsoft's external servers.

hmmm wrote: »

That's some stretch. The NSA is by far the most capable and powerful electronic monitoring service in the world, and there isn't a country capable of successfully defeating them, let alone Ireland (even if "we" tried).

This whole PRISM thing is ridiculously overblown. The Russians, Chinese, British, French, Israelis, Germans are all doing the same thing, and they're not about to stop just because Guardian readers have spilled their frapachinos in shock at finding out.

hmmm wrote: »

The NSA aren't interested in "ordinary people", they are interested in gathering the maximum volume of metadata to target their more detailed efforts. The traffic patterns as to who is communicating using strong encryption would immediately draw NSA suspicions, and if they really wanted to intercept your comms there is any number of ways they could.

Not that you'd really have anything to worry about unless you were a direct threat to the US.

I'd be far more worried about the privacy implications of something like government attempts to impose mandatory filtering, or Garda requests for retained Internet or email traffic.

Rucking_Fetard wrote: »

Microsoft ordered to produce overseas customer email addresses by US judge

They can appeal.

Impetus wrote: »

Why doesn't the Irish Government help Microsoft and others who want to store customer data in Ireland by passing a law requiring that all requests for traffic data or contents relating to data stored in Ireland must be covered by Irish judicial sign-off? Irrespective of the jurisdiction or domicile of the data centre operating entity.

Microsoft has been spending millions to protect its global business against the Snowden fallout - including this legal case http://www.washingtonpost.com/r/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2014/06/10/National-Security/Graphics/SDNY%20MSFT%20Brief.pdf

And they are not alone. Amazon (especially AWS), and probably Google are in the same boat. Every country has a right to pass laws to protect its sovereignty. If three letter agencies can bend the US legal system to rifle through data stored on computers situated in Ireland - it is no different to them launching an all out war against the country.

Losses to US industry are estimated to be between 22 and 180 billion USD over the next three years - ie about 10% of revenues. Ireland has a duty to stand up for companies who make substantial investments in the country.

http://www.businessinsider.com/edward-snowden-us-tech-firms-2014-7

Impetus wrote: »

To some extent I would agree with what you are saying - in terms of concept. However a reasonable level of taxation spent in accordance with the wishes of the population, in an efficient manner is legitimate. Spying electronically on the global population is not legitimate. In my view providing legal safeguards to those who offer secure protected data storage and transaction processing is legitimate - in the same way as the Swiss brought in banking secrecy to aid the Jews who were terrorized and murdered by Hitler & Co.

Electronic eavesdropping on the masses has become the new Hitler era of the 21st century. Up to the late 1980s one had to get a license to own a typewriter in the DDR (East Germany) - which process required the so called "authorities" to finger-print each character on one's new typewriter, and keep a record of the typeface on file - as if every typewriter owner was a criminal. If one typed anything that the powers that be did not like, they could use the "finger print" evidence of the characters on paper to trace it back to you. Abusive tactics like this caused the Berlin Wall to fall in 1989.

If companies like Microsoft, Amazon and Google etc are operating in the interest of their customers, they will locate their cloud facilities in countries that protect privacy of the normal user. This does not mean that a country should refuse to provide traffic data on someone who makes a credible threat to say "blow up the White House" or whatever.

Babies are not born "terrorists". In most cases they become so called terrorists due to the denial of human rights in their neck of the woods, as they perceive it. And privacy of information is a human right, which must be respected. Just as the Red Cross and MSF (Medicine Sans Frontières) operate to care for physically injured people.

Recondite49 wrote: »

for this reason I invest what small savings I have offshore where there is no Capital Gains Tax - this is lawful provided

All forms of property are assets for CGT purposes whether situated in or outside the State.

Recondite49 wrote: »

Mainly because I have an excellent Financial Advisor, I pay no CGT on my investments although when I retire I'll have to pay tax on the interest.

If you want more information please feel free to send me a message, as you said perhaps this isn't the best thread for this.

Recondite49 wrote: »

As with everything it depends on how you structure it.

It is possible to do it legally.

As I said though I think if you want to discuss this further we should carry on in a separate thread as we've veered off topic.

Recondite49 wrote: »

however I have a Chartered Accountant.