EU-US: Privacy Shield data pact is working but needs improvement, says EC

After one year of operation, the EU-US data transfer deal Privacy Shield is “working well” but has a lot of “room for improvement”, says the European Commission.

More than 2,400 companies are signed up to the voluntary agreement that safeguards the privacy rights of Europeans when their data is transferred to the US. The deal was drawn up after the European Court of Justice did away with the previous Safe Harbour agreement following the Edward Snowden revelations about security services’ data gathering.

According to the EU executive, Privacy Shield “has ensured adequate protection and safeguards” for personal data transferred from the EU to the US and all the “necessary administrative structures and procedures have been put in place”. Nonetheless, it found eight specific points where improvement is needed.

Many of the protections put in place were by means of Presidential Policy Directive 28 signed by former US president Barack Obama. EU justice commissioner Vera Jourová said, “The change of administration in the US made this first annual review especially relevant.”

Full Content: Europa

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