The EU-U.S. “Privacy Shield” Opens for Business

On August 1, 2016, the United States Department of Commerce launched the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield self-certification process on its Privacy Shield Website. More than 115 U.S. companies have already self-certified. The Privacy Shield was designed to provide U.S. and European companies with a mechanism to comply with EU data protection requirements for cross-border transfers of personal data in the wake of the invalidation of the previously-used U.S.-EU Safe Harbor Framework.

 

As with the prior Safe Harbor Framework, U.S. companies that self-certify under the Privacy Shield are identified on Department of Commerce’s website as “active” participants in the program. To avail itself to the benefits of the Privacy Shield, a company must self-certify annually that it agrees to adhere to additional new Privacy Shield requirements, which expand the protection previously provided by Safe Harbor with respect to long-standing EU data protection principles of notice, choice, accountability for onward transfers, security, data integrity and purpose limitation, access, recourse, enforcement and liability.  Organizations that self-certify under the new Privacy Shield will need to revise their policies and practices to ensure compliance with the new framework.

 

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