Hi everyone. Probably not everyone knows but EU has CLOUD Act analogue too - it has a name “e-evidence - cross border access”. so this is a description of framework from the official site - “create a European Production Order: this will allow a judicial authority in one Member State to obtain electronic evidence (such as emails, text or messages in apps, as well as information to identify a perpetrator as a first step) directly from a service provider or its legal representative in another Member State, which will be obliged to respond within 10 days, and within 8 hours in cases of emergency (compared to up to 120 days for the existing European Investigation Order or an average of 10 months for a Mutual Legal Assistance procedure);”
basically it means that the national authorities of the country where companies are registered no longer has juducial control over law protection of their companies - so for example if extreme right government of Poland will be dissappointed with your post on Mastodon about Pegasus surveillance used by them against political journalists by new Framework they will issue juicial order to obtain your mastodon account details, ip, email etc and will electronically request your mastodon provider (which reside for example in Belgium) to give this data to them withis 8 hours or 10 days (without possibility to make appelation) basically overriding national courts of country of registration of the provider.
Do you believe that EU goverment respect right to privacy and national souvereginity as a fundamental right?
About if it is possible that goverment is interested - I don’t know if you’re Polish or familiar with the situation in Poland, but currently, a trial is underway in Poland, initiated by the pseudo-liberal opposition, regarding the illegal surveillance of journalists and independent political candidates in the 2019 elections using Pegasus. This surveillance was approved by national Polish courts. If a framework had existed at that time, they might have been able to gather much more compromising evidence on political opponents much faster.
Regarding your opinion that the government doesn’t crack down on criticism on the internet, it’s worth noting that the Polish Minister of Justice still insists on the maximum criminal punishment for two women who showed a depiction of the Virgin Mary in rainbow colors, as he claims it’s an insult to religion. Since the ruling ultra-right party in Poland is a clearly clerical party with strong ties to Catholicism and has repeatedly used Catholic themes in their speeches, for them, it’s evidently a priority to eradicate dissent in the country. The Minister of Justice’s actions clearly confirm this.
I also use the term ‘government’ in relation to judicial investigations deliberately, as Poland has been subject to EU sanctions due to the government’s force on the judicial system
I’ve read about what’s happening in Poland and similar issues exist also in Hungary and Italy where (what a coincidence) far right governments are in charge with their ultra conservative and authoritarian agenda.
However, I don’t see why the EU should not go ahead with the program.
If the Poles (or the Hungarians, the Italians,…) elect a fascist government to rule on them, the problem is with the people, not the EU. I completely understand that you may be against that government, but most of the people around you chose it. They may be fools or fascist. Either way you may be in the wrong place. EU comes with the freedom of movement: use it.
people around you choose them
The ancient Romans did not like Christians and therefore one of their favorite entertainments was to gather in amphitheaters and watch as defenseless Christians were thrown into a cage with tigers and torn apart. People received positive emotions, it united the spirit of the nation, and children also had fun. Another example is that after a shipwreck, people on a boat wandered in the ocean for several days and were starving, having no food, they decided that it was better to die alone than to die together and ate a young boy. Then they were rescued. These are real examples of how your utilitarian philosophy is disadvantaged and its shortcomings.
It’s 2025. Not only we are no more butchering minorities for fun, but any European is literally one ticket away to move to another country and start a new life. It’s your choice to stay.