Data regulators reject EU-US Privacy Shield safe harbour deal

Pan-European working party questions protection of EU citizens' data from 'massive and indiscriminate' surveillance by US government

The pan-European data regulator group, Article 29, has criticised the Privacy Shield safe harbour revamp proposed by the European commission over its lack of surveillance protection from the US government for EU citizens' data.

The EU-US Privacy Shield was agreed in February after two years of cross-Atlantic negotiations. The agreement should allow companies to transfer EU citizens' data for processing or storage within the US, replacing the 2000 that was invalidated by the European court of justice after it ruled the agreement did not have "adequate" privacy protections inline with those of the EU.