US Unhappy With Australians Storing Data On Australian Shores 386
Fluffeh writes "The United States' global trade representative has strongly criticized a perceived preference on the part of large Australian organizations for hosting their data on-shore in Australia, claiming it created a significant trade barrier for U.S. technology firms. A number of U.S. companies had expressed concerns that various departments in the Australian Government, namely the Department of Defence had been sending negative messages about cloud providers based outside the country, implying that 'hosting data overseas, including in the United States, by definition entails greater risk and unduly exposes consumers to their data being scrutinized by foreign governments.' Recently, Acting Victorian Privacy Commissioner Anthony Bendall highlighted some of the privacy concerns with cloud computing, particularly in its use by the local government. He said the main problems were the lack of control over stored data and privacy, in overseas cloud service providers."
wtf? (Score:5, Interesting)
Comment removed (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:You're kidding, right? (Score:5, Interesting)
It's not just live data located in the US. It's data in Australia managed by a US company that could be subject to a US warrant, or even backups of Aus servers hosted in the US.
Duh (Score:5, Interesting)
(see http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/12/patriot-act-and-privacy-laws-take-a-bite-out-of-us-cloud-business.ars [arstechnica.com])
Sorry (Score:5, Interesting)
Dear Australia,
I, an American Citizen and veteran of the Marine Corps where I served an an infantry machine gunner, and filling billets including intelligence analyst and company clerk, sincerely apologize for this.
Although this isn't my fault (for I was not allowed to vote while I was in the service. This is my opinion, I found it too much of a coincidence that my ballot and that of a friend from the same state arrived exactly 1 month to the day after it was supposed to be postmarked for return. Twice.), you can bet I will vote this round, and will not be voting for anyone that is currently in office, for they all allow these things to happen, which is an embarrassment to us all.
I'm E-mailing my senators and congressman now. I have other concerns to raise with them anyway, like why my state charges sales tax on private sales of vehicles (double taxation) and why they want to charge tax on the Real Market Value of said vehicle even though it was sold for 1/3 that price (taxing money not spent).
Sincerely,
Troubled American Citizen
P.S. Are you guys still open for citizenship? At times it's more prudent to abandon a sinking vessel rather than continue trying to fix what is so severely broken.
The other way round (Score:3, Interesting)
I wonder if the US department of defense would allow its contractors to ever host their data in Australia?
Re:ERROR (Score:4, Interesting)
No more federal money to Africa, Europe, the UN, or anywhere else
You're giving federal money to Europe ?!? That's news to me. As for the UN, last I checked your were years behind in your payments while being one of the main 'users' of the UN. As for Africa, when you 'donate' money on the condition that they kick out organisations that give out free condoms, then fuck you.
Re:ERROR (Score:4, Interesting)
Why would we ever extradite someone just because they helped someone else copy something? Where are our priorities? We gain nothing and lose much from wasting our time on such trivial nonsense.
Re:If facts count at all, the Aussies are correct! (Score:3, Interesting)
Data retention, security, availability and backup are what we need. My ideal then is an Australian hosting company with exemplary credentials. We have that!.
The USA has introduced laws and policies that withhold legitimate data from its owners. Even if costs were 50%
Re:ERROR (Score:4, Interesting)
I have never doubted the fervor of your beliefs or principles, but I drank the Ayn Rand Kool Aid for 15 years. Then I decided to get over it.
I've just decided that it's completely soulless and without any form of empathy. And I just don't see pure capitalism providing the solutions that those who worship it expect of it. It's become like religious dogma that can't be questioned. It's overly romanticized and fixed and held as infallible.
The more I've watched economics since I gave up on believing the 'libertarian-capitalist' stuff, I'm convinced that a lot of the assumptions of these models is completely wrong. It's like when physicist assume a perfectly spherical cow. It makes the math easy, but it's not accurate.
So when you could see some train wrecks coming (like Greenspan telling people to borrow against their homes because it's "free money") it's hard to believe people who so fervently believe the Free Market Will Fix. It doesn't, it just moves wealth upwards to create serfs out of the schmucks at the bottom. Corporations get rich while everyone else's standard of living goes down ... but, hey, that's Capitalism. That's simply not sustainable. In its current form, Capitalism is eating us.
Sadly, I find that the Right has totally unrealistic economic policies that amount to wishful thinking, and unfortunately, the Left does as well. Both are convinced that if only we'd implement their notion of things, Everything Would Be Alright. But since I've stopped seeing things in black and white, and see a whole lot more shades of grey and nuance as I get older.
I totally think that a society which doesn't want to help pay for itself to operate is going to be in decline. I totally think that actively cultivating an attitude that the rest of the world can fuck off and leave you to fend for yourself eats into you over time and has a tendency to make you an asshole (speaking from personal experience, of course).
I've read and made many of the arguments you make. I just disagree with you as strongly as you believe in what you do. Because there was a time I'd have agreed with you; just not any more.
Cheers. It's been fun. :-P