U.S. lawmakers say it is time to boost privacy protections around cloud data

FILE PHOTO: A Microsoft logo is seen in Los Angeles, California, U.S. June 14, 2016. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States needs to accord the same legal protections to user data held on tech companies' servers as it does to physical files stored in personal file cabinets, media attorneys and lawmakers said Wednesday.

The witnesses spoke at a hearing on whether the U.S. government overuses it secret subpoena power in a way that harms American internet users. The proceeding follows revelations that former President Donald Trump's U.S. Department of Justice secretly sought the phone records of reporters and Democratic representatives to investigate the leaks of classified material.