Two US lawmakers urge White House to end UK data treaty after Apple backdoor order
Ohio Republican Jim Jordan, who chairs the Judiciary Committee, and Arizona Republican Andy Biggs, who chairs a subcommittee on surveillance, asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to end the U.S.-U.K. agreement made under the CLOUD Act.
That agreement, which has been in place since 2019 and was renewed last year, allows the U.K. government to ask U.S. companies such as Apple (AAPL.O), opens new tab to hand over data during criminal investigations - but not if the targets are U.S. citizens.
The two members of the U.S. House of Representatives urged Bondi to "renegotiate it to adequately protect American citizens from foreign government surveillance," according to the letter, which was seen by Reuters.
The Washington Post in February reported that the British government ordered Apple to build a system that would give it powers to view end-to-end encrypted data uploaded by Apple users anywhere in the world - an unprecedented demand that the U.K. said is aimed at crime prevention and the pursuit of criminals.
Apple withdrew its Advanced Data Protection feature for U.K. users later that month and is appealing the order.
The U.K. order sparked concern among U.S. officials that it could violate the CLOUD Act agreement between the countries by allowing the U.K. to obtain the data of U.S. citizens.
CLOUD stands for "clarifying lawful overseas use of data."
"We are ... concerned that the order exposes all Apple users, including American citizens, to unnecessary surveillance and could enable foreign adversaries and nefarious actors to infiltrate such a backdoor," the U.S. lawmakers wrote.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
18 minutes ago
- Reuters
Asian stocks waver, dollar frail as Trump's tariffs, US rate path weighs
SINGAPORE, July 2 (Reuters) - Asian stocks slipped on Wednesday and the dollar languished near 3-1/2-year lows as investors weighed the prospect of U.S. interest rate cuts and the scramble for trade deals ahead of President Donald Trump's July 9 deadline for tariffs. Trump said he was not considering extending the July 9 deadline for countries to negotiate trade deals with the United States, and cast doubts again that an agreement could be reached with Japan, although he expects a deal with India. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS), opens new tab eased 0.23% in early trading, inching away from the November 2021 top it touched last week. Japan's Nikkei (.N225), opens new tab fell 0.78%, dragged by tech stocks. Tech-heavy Taiwan stocks (.TWII), opens new tab and South Korea's Kospi Index (.KS11), opens new tab also fell after U.S. tech firms were hit hard following a strong rally in June. Data on Tuesday showed the U.S labour market remained resilient with a rise in job openings for May, sharpening the focus on the payrolls report due on Thursday as investors try to gauge when the Federal Reserve is likely to cut rates next. Fed Chair Jerome Powell, under fire from Trump to cut rates immediately, reiterated that the U.S. central bank plans to "wait and learn more" about the impact of tariffs on inflation before lowering interest rates. Traders are pricing in 64 basis points of cuts this year from the Fed with the odds of a move in July at 21%. That maintained a bearish bias on the dollar. The euro last bought $1.1793, just below the three-and-half-year high it touched on Tuesday. The yen was steady at 143.52 per dollar. "Any disappointing economic data can prompt further dovish repricing of FOMC rate cuts and another round of USD selling," said Carol Kong, a currency strategist at Commonwealth Bank of Australia. "The 'One Big Beautiful Bill' Act (OBBBA) and trade developments also have the potential to further weaken the USD if they undermine investor confidence about the U.S. economy." Investor focus over the last few days has pivoted to the progress of Trump's massive tax-and-spending bill, which is expected to add $3.3 trillion to the national debt. The legislation heads to the House of Representatives for possible final approval after U.S. Senate Republicans passed it by the narrowest of margins. The bill has stoked fiscal worries but the reaction was relatively muted after it passed the Senate. The benchmark U.S. 10-year yields were steady at 4.245% having touched a two-month low in the previous session. Aninda Mitra, head of Asia macro strategy at BNY Investment Institute, said the legislation "hard wires" a steady deterioration of the fiscal position and the debt trajectory of the U.S. government. "The near-term impact is mostly in the price, but the uncertainty factor could keep term premia elevated. We don't think long-term yields will fall back materially in the 6-12 month horizon." The fiscal worries, trade uncertainties and the U.S. rate path trajectory have all led investors to flee U.S. assets and look for alternatives. Investors worry that Trump's chaotic trade policies could hit U.S. economic growth. That has left the dollar unloved, with the greenback down over 10% for the year in its worst first half performance since the 1970s. The dollar index , which measures the U.S. currency against six rivals, was at 96.649, near its lowest since March 2022. In commodities, spot gold eased to $3,332.19 per ounce, after surging 1% in the previous session. The yellow metal is up 27% this year on safe-haven flows.
Reuters
30 minutes ago
- Reuters
Rupee expected to track Asia forex lower on renewed Trump tariff worries
MUMBAI, July 2 (Reuters) - The Indian rupee is expected to open lower on Wednesday, tracking declines in most other Asian currencies and equities amid renewed worries over U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs. The 1-month non-deliverable forward indicated a open in the 85.62-85.64 range, versus 85.52 on Tuesday. The rupee has been largely range bound in recent sessions, holding between the key support zone at 85.90–86.00 and resistance near 85.30. "Both of these levels are difficult to break," a currency trader at a bank said. "You'll likely have to wait until July 9 for a decisive move, and that's when we could see a breakout either way." He added for now the risks are skewed toward a decline past 86 rather than a rally above 85.30. Trump ruled out extending the July 9 deadline for trade deals on Tuesday and said he remained doubtful about reaching a deal with Japan. Japanese shares dropped 1% and the yen weakened versus the dollar. The renewed trade worries put pressure on risk-sensitive currencies, while dampening appetite for riskier assets. Asian equities and currencies declined amid wariness over potential U.S. action after the deadline. The Korean won, the Malaysian ringgit and the Thai baht were all down by 0.3% and the offshore Chinese weakened past 7.1650 to the U.S. dollar. Meanwhile, in a development seen as mildly negative for the dollar, U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said he did not rule out the possibility of cutting interest rates at the Fed's July 29–30 meeting, while reiterating that the central bank will wait for more economic data before deciding on rate cuts. Traders have slightly increased the odds of a cut at that gathering. Investors assess Trump's massive tax-and-spending bill, which was passed by the U.S. Senate and will return to the House for final approval. KEY INDICATORS: ** One-month non-deliverable rupee forward at 85.75; onshore one-month forward premium at 10.50 paise ** Dollar index at 96.66 ** Brent crude futures up 0.1% at $67.2 per barrel ** Ten-year U.S. note yield at 4.25% ** As per NSDL data, foreign investors bought a net $97 million worth of Indian shares on June 30 ** NSDL data shows foreign investors bought a net $181.2 million worth of Indian bonds on June 30
Reuters
33 minutes ago
- Reuters
Gold prices ease ahead of US data as investors weigh Fed rate stance
July 2 (Reuters) - Gold prices edged lower on Wednesday as investors awaited U.S. payroll data and assessed Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's cautious stance on rate cuts, although a weaker dollar helped limit losses for greenback-priced bullion. Spot gold was down 0.2% at $3,330.68 per ounce, as of 0217 GMT, while U.S. gold futures fell 0.3% to $3,340.60. The U.S. dollar index (.DXY), opens new tab weakened to its lowest point in more than three years, making bullion more affordable for holders of other currencies. "Gold prices are consolidating after posting the strongest gains in two weeks. The overall trend bias continues to favour the upside for now," said Ilya Spivak, head of global macro at Tastylive, adding Fed policy expectations are taking center stage at the moment. Powell reiterated that the U.S. central bank plans to "wait and learn more" about the impact of tariffs on inflation before lowering interest rates, again setting aside U.S. President Donald Trump's demands for immediate and deep rate cuts. U.S. job openings unexpectedly increased in May, but a decline in hiring added to signs that the labour market had shifted into lower gear amid uncertainty over the Trump administration's tariffs on imports. Investors are now awaiting U.S. ADP employment data, due later in the day, and nonfarm payroll figures on Thursday for further insights into labour market conditions. "The biggest risk for gold is an unexpectedly strong (NFP)result, but that seems rather unlikely to happen," Spivak said. Meanwhile, U.S. Senate Republicans narrowly passed Trump's tax-and-spending bill on Tuesday, a package cutting taxes, reducing social safety net programmes, and boosting military spending, while adding $3.3 trillion to the national debt. Trump expressed optimism on Tuesday about a potential trade deal with India but was skeptical about reaching a similar agreement with Japan. He added that he was not considering an extension of the July 9 deadline for countries to negotiate trade deals. Spot silver edged down 0.1% to $36.01 per ounce, platinum fell 0.4% to $1,344.91, while palladium gained 0.4% to $1,104.92.
