I'm not entirely sure that's the case. The guy is the CEO.
So let's say he can't access it from the UK. The UK guys tell him "give us the documents or you go to jail". Well then he could ask an employee who is currently in the US to unlock them for him, maybe even give them his password. Basically, there is usually a way to get things done if there is a threat of jail pending.
The greater issue is how the UK was allowed to even do something like this to a person who hadn't done anything illegal.
I was also thinking the same thing about the "secret deal" thing since 643 had previously fought Facebook in court and there might be some bad blood there. But the guy is a US citizen so it'd be very risky to intentionally pull a stunt like that when a US court ordered him to keep the documents sealed.
I agree it seems this was a pretty major incident and people are letting their hatred of Zuckerberg blind them to it.
In essence the 643 guy was threatened with UK jail if he didn't produce the documents. And threatened with US jail if he did. Over something that he did not own or had any part in creating. I'm no expert but it seems like a rights violation. He didn't do anything illegal.
Do embassies really step in in this case? If not, what would be the correct process to untangle oneself.
So let's say he can't access it from the UK. The UK guys tell him "give us the documents or you go to jail". Well then he could ask an employee who is currently in the US to unlock them for him, maybe even give them his password. Basically, there is usually a way to get things done if there is a threat of jail pending.
The greater issue is how the UK was allowed to even do something like this to a person who hadn't done anything illegal.