The United States and Australia are tightening their crime fighting alliance, with a new landmark agreement that could see law enforcement agencies in both countries have easier access to the communications data of each other’s residents. It comes under the Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use of Data (CLOUD) Act passed in 2018 requiring all U.S.-based cloud service providers to produce data, under subpoena, to any U.S. law enforcement agency regardless of where in the world that data is stored. The new pact would add to this, allowing both nations’ police access to any communications data from the other country for a serious crime, such as child sexual abuse, terrorism, ransomware attacks, and cyberattacks on critical infrastructure. The U.S.-Australia agreement, which must still pass parliamentary and congressional review in both countries, promises to streamline significantly the speed of criminal investigations, something which previously required a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty—a process that could …