Washington - Canada and the United States have begun talks on ways to facilitate law enforcement officials in either country’s rightful access to private data when considered part of an investigation.

The framework of the talks focused on enacting the Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use of Data Act, or CLOUD, which was passed in the United States in 2018 in an attempt to facilitate access to evidence while protecting civil liberties.

Today’s announcement is part of the cross-border crime forum held this week in the U.S. capital with Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino and Justice Minister David Lametti.

It is the first meeting of the forum in a decade, which was revived by the Canada-U.S. bilateral cooperation "roadmap" agreed upon last February by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and President Joe Biden.

For his part, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said a new data-sharing deal would enhance public safety and security while protecting privacy and civil liberties in both countries.

Garland said in a statement, “Such an agreement, if completed and approved, would pave the way for more efficient cross-border data disclosures between the United States and Canada so that our governments can more effectively combat serious crimes, including terrorism.”

“By increasing the effectiveness of investigations and prosecutions of serious crimes, we seek to enhance the safety and security of citizens on both sides of the U.S.-Canada border.”

Mendicino and Lametti participated in talks with Garland and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

The meeting summary indicates that they discussed working together to defend against malware attacks targeting electronic systems and to “freeze and seize” Russian assets as part of economic measures taken against Vladimir Putin’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

Foreign policy experts have warned for weeks that U.S. efforts to impose sanctions on Russia are likely to escalate foreign cyberattacks on U.S. infrastructure, a possibility Biden announced Monday.

Speaking to business leaders, Biden said: “My administration has issued renewed warnings based on evolved intelligence that Russia may be planning a cyberattack against us.”

The four leaders also discussed efforts to combat human trafficking and smuggling across the U.S.-Canada border, as well as plans to target the flow of illegal weapons between the two countries.

Edited by: Dima Abu Khair