CLOUD Act 2018
Definition
US Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use of Data Act; allows US-based technology companies to comply with foreign government data demands without MLAT processing, where the foreign government has signed a bilateral CLOUD Act Agreement with the US. In force between the US and UK since 2022.
- Full name
- Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use of Data Act
- Jurisdiction
- United States, 2018
- Mechanism
- Bilateral CLOUD Act Agreements bypass MLAT
- In force with
- United Kingdom, since 2022
Common questions
How does the CLOUD Act speed up cross-border evidence requests compared to MLAT?+
Under a bilateral CLOUD Act Agreement, a qualifying foreign government can serve a legal demand directly on a US-based provider without routing it through the slower mutual legal assistance treaty process, which otherwise requires government-to-government diplomatic channels.
Does the CLOUD Act apply to every country requesting data from a US provider?+
No, only countries that have signed a bilateral CLOUD Act Agreement meeting the statute's privacy and civil liberties safeguards can use this direct route; other countries still rely on MLAT or other diplomatic mechanisms.
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