Written by Maribeth Minella, EVP & Corporate Counsel, World Travel, Inc.
July 12, 2016: Today, the European Commission (“EC”) agreed to the terms of the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield Framework. In a press conference with European Union Commissioner Věra Jourová, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker thanked Commissioner Jourová and the negotiating teams for their efforts to adopt the framework. The Privacy Shield, according to Secretary Pritzker, will benefit both businesses and consumers, and facilitate trade across the Atlantic. The Department of Commerce has published three helpful documents about the Privacy Shield, including how qualified business can apply. They can be found here.
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Written by Maribeth Minella, EVP & Corporate Counsel, World Travel, Inc.
July 8, 2016: The EU-U.S. Privacy Shield - a new arrangement between EU Member States and the United States to better protect Europeans’ personal data – is expected to be effective July 12, 2016.
The Privacy Shield has been approved by EU Member States and passed to the European Commission (EC) for approval. A brief overview of the Privacy Shield is available here.
In short, businesses in the U.S. will have strong obligations by way of greater transparency and oversight mechanisms to ensure U.S. companies abide by the rules, and there will be tightened conditions on onward transfers. The Privacy Shield also includes sanctions for companies that fail to comply. When the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield was first announced, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker commented, “The EU-U.S. Privacy Shield is a tremendous victory for privacy, individuals, and businesses on both sides of the Atlantic.”
