Policy Observatory
Corporate-sponsored privacy confusion in the EU on trade and data protection
After the “Privacy shield” was adopted on 12 July 2016, the European Commission started internal discussions about whether or not to include “data flows” and “data localisation” clauses in Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership and in the Trade in Services Agreement. It appears that the European Commission Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers (DG Justice) initially accepted the inclusion of clauses on forced, unjustified “data localisation”, but not on transfers of data. However, according to EurActiv, DG Justice has backed down and accepted a weakening of its position on data protection and privacy in order to placate industry, after a campaign based on dubious assertions and backed up by the US government.
Country: EU
Domains: Privacy
Stakeholder: European Bodies
Tags: privacy, EU-US, data flows, data localisation, Trade in Services Agreement, Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, Privacy Shield, data protection