Police locked in long US legal process to access Southport killer’s online history

 

processed by the Department of Justice. She added: “If Google will voluntarily comply with the data request, then typically the process is quick. If Google needs to be compelled, through a court order, it will take longer.

According to Google, one way of accessing the data is applying via the UK courts for a so-called overseas production order, under the US-UK Cloud Act agreement.

Another expert said the process of obtaining data from abroad could be slow due to potential conflicts in national laws. However, the Cloud agreement is designed to speed up that process.

The US-UK Cloud Act agreement is intended to provide a quicker route for police to access electronic evidence from US-based technology companies in cases of serious and violent crimes, while providing appropriate safeguards,” said Monica Horten, a technology policy adviser.

A Merseyside police spokesperson said: “We have submitted requests through the correct channels for a criminal investigation.”

In the year to June 2024, Google received 12 overseas production orders from authorities in the UK – the equivalent of 0.06% of the nearly 20,000 data requests from the UK that year. A report published by Google suggests it at least partly complied with the vast majority – 88% – of those 20,000 requests.A Google spokesperson said: “Our deepest sympathies are with all of the families and individuals affected by this horrific attack. We are in touch with the Merseyside police to support their inquiries with regards to this case.

A Microsoft spokesperson said: “This is a tragic case and our sympathies are with the victims, their families and all those affected.

“In a threat-to-life scenario, when we receive a request from law enforcement through our direct channels, we respond within 20 minutes and work together to share relevant information as quickly as possible.