> The distinction between ‘internal’ and ‘external’ communications is crucial. Under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (‘RIPA’), which regulates the su

> The distinction between ‘internal’ and ‘external’ communications is crucial. Under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (‘RIPA’), which regulates the surveillance powers of public bodies, ‘internal’ communications may only be intercepted under a warrant which relates to a specific individual or address. These warrants should only be granted where there is some suspicion of unlawful activity. However, an individual’s ‘external communications’ may be intercepted indiscriminately, even where there are no grounds to suspect any wrongdoing. This is another reason to force companies to hold local datacenters in major countries...or, if they prefer, put everything under end-to-end encryption, so it doesn't matter where they hold it. Only these 2 options should be given to the companies, otherwise no "foreigner" (in relation to where the data is kept) can trust them with their data. They decide which is less costly, but I'm hoping they choose the latter.