In a gesture no doubt aimed at least in part at the estimated 7 million to 9 million Americans who live outside of the U.S., today's BBC World Service's Weekend show set aside a 15-minute segment to examine some of the tax and citizenship issues these expats are currently struggling with.

Lawyers acting on behalf of the U.S.-born FATCA complainant known as "Jenny", who had been considering whether to go ahead with a challenge to the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office's May 29 decision not to uphold her crowd-funded complaint over the way her personal data has been sent to the U.S. by British entities in recent years, have formally requested that HM Revenue & Customs agree to waive any so-called "adverse party costs", in the event that Jenny were to go ahead with her challenge – and lose.

Just when it was beginning to seem that a challenge to the U.S. tax evasion law known as FATCA actually had a chance of getting somewhere, a lack of financing has emerged as an issue...

The historical origins of privacy law, in the context of EU human rights principles, and the disproportionate elements of America's FATCA legislation are among the topics discussed in the first-ever podcast interview of the U.S.-born FATCA challenger known only as "Jenny", along with her lawyer, Mishcon de Reya partner Filippo Noseda.

The U.S. born, UK-resident woman whose crowd-funded complaint over data protection violations she alleged had resulted from the way HMRC had forwarded her personal information to the U.S. was recently not upheld by the UK's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), is actively considering lodging a judicial review – but says that her legal advisers have told her she'll need to secure "£75,000 within the next 10 days" if she is to do so.

The United Kingdom's Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has decided not to uphold a closely-watched, crowd-funded complaint over data protection violations that a U.S.-born, UK-resident complainant alleges have resulted from the way HMRC has forwarded her personal information to the U.S., in compliance with that country’s FATCA legislation. 

Last Wednesday, the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) announced that it expects imminently to issue its decision in a closely-watched challenge over data protection violations that a U.S.-born, UK-resident complainant alleges have resulted from the way HMRC has forwarded her personal information to the U.S., in compliance with that country’s FATCA legislation.

As American expats and Green Card holders around the world prepare to take advantage of their ability, under the recently-signed CARES Act, to access their share of the US$2trn federal coronavirus stimulus package, some Americans resident abroad have been expressing unease with the fact that expats have been included in the handout.

A ruling last week by the UK's Supreme Court, in favor of a plaintiff who claimed that data protection laws had been broken in the transfer of her son's personal data to U.S. authorities, is being seen as potentially precedent-setting, as it is said to be the first such case involving questions about the legal transfer of personal data from Britain to the United States since the introduction of the GDPR across Europe in 2018.

An American who came to the UK 19 years ago and who, as reported here last month, has been seeking to raise £50,000 via a crowd-funding website in order to legally challenge what she claims is the mis-use of her personal data and a violation of her privacy by the UK's HM Revenue & Customs, has reached her fund-raising goal.