EU-US Data Privacy Agreement Strengthened to Safeguard Digital Exchange

EU Adopts More Robust Data Privacy Agreement with US

Background

Three years after a European court invalidated a transatlantic data transfer agreement, the European Union (EU) has formally adopted a new agreement with the United States (US) aimed at enhancing privacy protections for data moving between American tech companies and EU users. This decision comes as a relief for US tech companies that have been under scrutiny by the EU since the lapse of the Privacy Shield agreement. The new agreement, the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework, is the result of years of diplomatic negotiations to address differences in privacy standards and concerns over US surveillance programs.

Privacy Safeguards and Legal Certainty

The European Commission has determined that the US has implemented adequate safeguards to protect EU citizens’ data. These safeguards include measures to address European concerns about US surveillance activities. Notably, the US has established a new data protection review court, providing E.U. citizens the opportunity to seek redress if they believe their personal data has been collected in a manner that violates the agreement.