[toyg]

> US parent company is only stock owner

That is rarely the case. In most arrangements, foreign subsidiaries are still under direct control of the main company - do you really think "Google US" doesn't have a say in how "Google Ireland" operates?

There are tons of accountancy rules dealing exclusively with partially-owned-fully-controlled foreign companies, but when it comes to the Patriot Act, as long as there is even a shred of control from an American company, then all data held by the controlled company is subject to US laws, regardless of actual location. This is far from an expansive interpretation of the Act, tbh; it's just one of the many that have been tested in court.