Microsoft's Smith, Government Officials, Academic to Testify on Law Enforcement Access to Data Abroad

Microsoft Chief Legal Officer Brad Smith and American University College of Law professor Jennifer Daskal will testify at a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism hearing Wednesday on law enforcement access to data across borders. In January, Microsoft successfully fended off a government search warrant that sought a customer's emails stored in a server in Ireland (see 1701240057 and 1607140071). Experts like Daskal have supported changes to the slow mutual legal assistance treaty process, which allow law enforcement agencies of different countries to share information for criminal investigations and prosecutions. Smith, Daskal and Christopher Kelly, who heads the digital evidence laboratory in the Massachusetts attorney general's office, will testify on the second panel of the 2:30 p.m. hearing, which will be in 226 Dirksen. Richard Downing, acting deputy assistant attorney general in DOJ's Criminal Division, and UK Deputy National Security Adviser Paddy McGuinness will testify on the first panel.