Their formation is the latest part of Project Andromede, the government's efforts to create a 'national cloud' where sensitive data can be stored in the cloud without exposure to other legal jurisdictions (most notably the US Patriot Act ).

Cohen's visit to the region comes days after the US ruled the entire Iranian banking system including the central bank was a "primary money laundering concern" under the US Patriot Act .

That phrase activates a section of the US Patriot Act , and would effectively warn European, Asian and Latin American businesses away from Iran if they want to continue to do business with the United States.

In 2007, the Philippines enacted the Human Security Act, its version of the US Patriot Act , in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States and the spate of devastating attacks that had been attributed to radical groups operating in the Philippines such as the Abu Sayyaf, the Rajah Sulaiman Movement and the regional pan-Islamic group Jemaah Islamiyah.

Speaking at a session on WikiLeaks at the Sheffield documentary film festival on Thursday, she said that whistleblowing had become more dangerous than ever, partially because of the restrictions imposed by the US Patriot Act , which was brought in by George Bush in 2001 and recently extended for several years by Obama.

The US Patriot Act could not therefore be used by the US authorities to access the data.

But Mr Godsiff warned that under the US Patriot Act , which became law in 2001 following the September 11 terror attacks, the United States Government had the power to examine any data held by a US company.

He draws a comparison between the social control mechanisms of anti-Americanism during the Castro regime and the way the United States uses the term "terrorism" to ignite fears--especially against Mexican immigrants--under the US Patriot Act .

In the face of the threat from extremists, the greatest mistake Americans could make would be to revisit the "us versus them" rhetoric and invasive security policies of the previous administration, such as the US PATRIOT Act , which made it easier for government agencies to access private information, detain immigrants and search homes and businesses.