Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Cybersecurity
    • Cybersecurity

    European Member States Approve Privacy Shield Agreement

    Written by

    Wayne Rash
    Published July 9, 2016
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.

      Representatives of the 28 states of the European Union approved the final version of the Privacy Shield agreement between the United States and the EU on July 8.

      This is the final step before the agreement is formally adopted by the European Commission, which is expected to happen during the week of July 11. The Privacy Shield agreement is intended to protect the privacy of EU citizens as data about them flows between the EU and the U.S. and while that data is stored in the U.S.

      The Privacy Shield replaces the former Safe Harbor agreement that was supposed to accomplish the same thing. But documents leaked by former National Security Agency analyst Edward Snowden showed that the Safe Harbor agreement was frequently ignored by the intelligence agency and that companies didn’t always deliver on their promises of privacy following their self-certification. The Privacy Shield requires written assurances by the U.S. that it will respect European privacy laws for data stored in the U.S.

      However, a number of privacy advocates in the EU have threatened to take the agreement to court, claiming that it doesn’t go far enough in protecting the privacy of EU citizens. In addition, if the United Kingdom abides by the results of a recent referendum and pulls out of the EU, it’s possible that the UK and U.S. would have to negotiate a separate privacy agreement.

      Negotiators reached initial agreement on the Privacy Shield framework on Feb. 2. The proposed agreement went through the review process required in the EU, first by national data protection authorities, then by the EU’s Data Protection Supervisor, both of which expressed reservations. However, neither has the authority to block the deal.

      The EU parliament approved the Privacy Shield in May, which allowed the agreement to move along to final approval by the 28 member nations.

      Once the agreement receives formal approval by the European Commission, the agreement will be in force. The U.S. Congress has already passed its enabling legislation in the form of the Judicial Redress Act, which gives EU citizens privacy rights similar to U.S. citizens.

      The Privacy Shield agreement is critical to enable the free flow of information between the U.S. and the EU. This data may include anything ranging from employee payroll data of companies with operations on both sides of the Atlantic to financial data used by banks and credit card companies.

      Equally important, especially to European privacy advocates, is the data collected by U.S.-based Internet services such as Facebook and Google, both of which have faced criticism in Europe. Google’s situation is under particular scrutiny, with European moves to require it to allow people to be forgotten.

      European Member States Approve Privacy Shield Agreement

      Other areas of criticism include targeted advertising such as those annoying ads from Google long after you’ve either purchased something or decided you aren’t going to.

      For most companies, the Privacy Shield agreement is an important step in their efforts to conduct business outside of either the U.S. or the EU. Without it, companies had to have a contractual agreement that provided similar protections or any data transfer had to take place within a company or between a company and its subsidiaries. It’s now even more important because of efforts in Europe to invalidate such contractual agreements.

      European leaders are expressing their support for the agreement. European Commission Vice President Andrus Ansip and Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova issued a joint statement that noted, “It is fundamentally different from the old ‘Safe Harbour’: It imposes clear and strong obligations on companies handling the data and makes sure that these rules are followed and enforced in practice.”

      They also noted that for the first time, “the U.S. has given the EU written assurance that the access of public authorities for law enforcement and national security will be subject to clear limitations, safeguards and oversight mechanisms and has ruled out indiscriminate mass surveillance of European citizens’ data.”

      Once the agreement gains final approval and is fully implemented, the next steps for both governments are to make sure that it’s actually honored. In the U.S., at least, there has been a strong temptation to circumvent any impediment to gathering information, regardless of whether it’s protected by treaty or statute.

      While the most visible example of the tendency to ignore privacy rights emerged when Snowden started releasing documents, this is by no means limited to activities of the U.S. government.

      In fact, businesses, including Google and social media companies such as Facebook, routinely gather as much information as they can, wherever they can, for their own uses. Those uses include everything from using photos of people so they can be tagged on Facebook to the previously mentioned sales of advertisements on Google. Now the real challenge will be to see if those companies can resist the temptation to ignore the Privacy Shield and respect the privacy rights of Europeans.

      And who knows, maybe they can also respect similar rights for people in the U.S., and at least make it possible to opt out of those ads that users of the Internet find so annoying. I was reminded of that while working on this story while trying to get past a seemingly unlimited number of ads for a Toyota pickup truck that I once looked at in an ad months ago. Maybe the Europeans are on to something here.

      Wayne Rash
      Wayne Rash
      https://www.eweek.com/author/wayne-rash/
      Wayne Rash is a content writer and editor with a 35-year history covering technology. He’s a frequent speaker on business, technology issues and enterprise computing. He is the author of five books, including his most recent, "Politics on the Nets." Rash is a former Executive Editor of eWEEK and a former analyst in the eWEEK Test Center. He was also an analyst in the InfoWorld Test Center and editor of InternetWeek. He's a retired naval officer, a former principal at American Management Systems and a long-time columnist for Byte Magazine.

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Artificial Intelligence

      9 Best AI 3D Generators You Need...

      Sam Rinko - June 25, 2024 0
      AI 3D Generators are powerful tools for many different industries. Discover the best AI 3D Generators, and learn which is best for your specific use case.
      Read more
      Cloud

      RingCentral Expands Its Collaboration Platform

      Zeus Kerravala - November 22, 2023 0
      RingCentral adds AI-enabled contact center and hybrid event products to its suite of collaboration services.
      Read more
      Artificial Intelligence

      8 Best AI Data Analytics Software &...

      Aminu Abdullahi - January 18, 2024 0
      Learn the top AI data analytics software to use. Compare AI data analytics solutions & features to make the best choice for your business.
      Read more
      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Video

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2024 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×