CLOUD Act
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The CLOUD Act (Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use of Data Act), also known as H.R.4943 is an American legislation enacted in February 2018.[1]
Summary
[edit | edit source]The CLOUD ACT was introduced at first on February 6, 2018. On March 23, 2018, the legislation was enacted.
The legislation mandates any American company that provides electronic communication services or remote computer services to preserve, backup or disclose the data belonging to a customer or subscriber, even affecting American companies that have their operations and data stored outside the US.
Impact on privacy
[edit | edit source]GDPR and data protection legislation
[edit | edit source]The legislation has caused privacy concerns for non-US consumers who use products or services from the United States that gather users' data. It also has caused concerns because it conflicts with the EU GDPR and other foreign legislation that are similar.
Privacy-advocate movements response
[edit | edit source]The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and other privacy-advocate movements have also manifested their concerns about how the CLOUD Act might be used to undermine peoples' rights of privacy, specially in countries and regions that do not have strict data protection legislation.[2][3]
See also
[edit | edit source]
References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ "H.R.4943 - CLOUD Act". Congress.gov. 2018-02-06. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
- ↑ Wire (2025-07-15). "What the CLOUD Act Really Means for EU Data Sovereignty". Wire. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
- ↑ McKinney, India. "CLOUD Act One Page Summary". EFF. Retrieved 2026-09-20.