>If you’re not a “U.S. person,” there are few restrictions on what the U.S. government can do to monitor you. If you are a U.S. person then…
So as someone who doesn't live in the states, this has been the biggest takeaway from all this. It doesn't matter that my country is allied and friends with the US, it doesn't matter that we're not at war, the US is not and has no intention of being my friend.
My current feelings then, is that I and everyone else who isn't a US citizen really need to get our data out of there, because regardless of where this debate is going, our "alien" data will never get any respect.
You might want to consider why your nation is considered a US ally. Because it sure isn't just because the US takes their word for it.
Intelligence agencies promote international stability, because they mean that at the high-level strata of world organization, its still possible to have a very informed opinion of the disposition, intentions and important issues of one's neighbours. A world where we don't know these things is less stable - you can't have trade negotiations publicly if you don't have a good idea of what can and can't be asked for, you can't "trust" anyone unless you can be reasonably sure they're not planning to stab you in the back or funding insurgencies, or if they're dealing with significant internal power struggles.
And frankly, the US doesn't know you. It also doesn't care about you. It's not a person, its a massive nation of millions, much like your own is. The fact you're allies at a high-level means precisely zilch for what your personal intentions are towards the US.
Fundamental problem: if you give me something, then I only know it's what you were willing to give. It tells me nothing of your intentions or agenda other then what I know you'll tell me.
This is why intelligence organizations exist. Because information you acquire yourself, through your own processes, is trustworthy. Information gifted is not.
I'm a US citizen who left the US. I am pretty damn sure they're not making some sort of provision for expatriate citizens, either. How on earth could they?
I mirror some of my less-important data to a private server in the US, but it's data I can afford to lose. And everything I transfer is encrypted these days. Pretty ashamed of my country, lately.
> I and everyone else who isn't a US citizen really need to get our data out of there
Futile.
While your body may sit idle in a land subject to the queen, your thoughts travel into the independent American colonies with a click of a button. This comment, and yours above it, just did.
If you communicate with anyone who is a "U.S. person," then I assume that that U.S. person's communications are now "legitimate" targets.
So just as Europeans are thinking about removing data and business from the U.S, Americans might want to consider not communicating with Europeans to maintain their supposed "U.S. person" immunity from surveillance.
It might be worth considering what other countries besides the US take advantage of data packets that happen to travel through their country for surveillance. One would imagine that the US is not the only country who does this.
So as someone who doesn't live in the states, this has been the biggest takeaway from all this. It doesn't matter that my country is allied and friends with the US, it doesn't matter that we're not at war, the US is not and has no intention of being my friend.
My current feelings then, is that I and everyone else who isn't a US citizen really need to get our data out of there, because regardless of where this debate is going, our "alien" data will never get any respect.