Cybersecurity Policy Report, U.S., EU Move to Pick Up Pace in Data Privacy Talks, (Mar 26, 2021)
Organizations Mentioned:Information Technology Industry Council (ITI)
By Jeff Williams
The U.S. and the European Commission (EC) issued a statement yesterday saying they decided to "intensify" negotiations regarding an enhanced Privacy Shield framework between the U.S. and European Union (EU) to replace the previous version that was invalidated last year by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CPR, July 16, 2020).
In a joint statement, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders said, "These negotiations underscore our shared commitment to privacy, data protection, and the rule of law and our mutual recognition of the importance of transatlantic data flows to our respective citizens, economies, and societies. Our partnership on facilitating trusted data flows will support economic recovery after the global pandemic, to the benefit of citizens and businesses on both sides of the Atlantic."
Following the invalidation of the previous Privacy Shield, the U.S. and EC began talks last August to establish a new data privacy framework (CPR, Aug. 10, 2020).
In a ruling that upended a key legal mechanism businesses relied upon to enable transatlantic data flows, the EU court ruled the previous Privacy Shield fell short of protecting the privacy of EU residents when their data was transferred between the EU and the U.S.
The Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) called the joint announcement "welcome news" for "all sizes" of businesses.
"ITI and our member companies look forward to working with Secretary Raimondo, Commissioner Reynders, and others in government, industry, and civil society to develop a robust framework that protects citizens’ personal data and respects privacy while supporting innovation and the free flow of data," ITI President and Chief Executive Officer Jason Oxman said in a statement.
News: InternationalLegislation DataPrivacy