Cross-Border

Yesterday, the European Parliament voted to approve the EU-U.S. Umbrella Agreement, a framework for the exchange of personal data for law-enforcement (including anti-terrorism) purposes between the EU and U.S.  As we previously explained, negotiations on this Agreement have been underway for quite some time, with the European Parliament first calling for it back in March 2009.

According to the European Commission’s fact sheet, the Agreement “puts in place a comprehensive high-level data protection framework for EU-US law enforcement cooperation.”  Specifically, the Umbrella Agreement includes the following protections:

  • Data Use Limitations
  • Onward Transfer Requirements
  • Publicly Available Retention Periods
  • Access and Rectification Rights
  • Data Breach Notification
  • Judicial Redress and Enforceability

Continue Reading European Parliament Approves EU-U.S. Umbrella Agreement

On November 11, 2016, a Russian court in Moscow upheld the decision of an earlier court to block online access to the website LinkedIn throughout Russia.  This decision, which affirms a decision to penalize LinkedIn by the Russian data protection regulator, the Roskomnadzor, was based on the court’s view that…
Continue Reading LinkedIn Blocked in Russia Following Breach of Data Localization Laws

The text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (“TPP”) agreement was released to the public for the first time today.  The TPP has yet to be ratified by the twelve Pacific Rim nations that negotiated the agreement, including the United States, where it has encountered opposition in Congress.  The nations that participated…
Continue Reading Trans-Pacific Partnership Trade Agreement May Authorize Cross-Border Data Flows

By Jean de Ruyt

According to the European Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality, Věra Jourová, the EU and the US have finalized the EU-US Umbrella Agreement (for the press release, see here; a reportedly near-final draft of the agreement can be read here). This is a remarkable breakthrough after the first calls for such an agreement back in March 2009, when the European Parliament called for an “EU – US agreement ensuring adequate protection of civil liberties and personal data protection”.Continue Reading EU – US Umbrella Agreement about to be concluded: towards a transatlantic approach to data protection?

This past week, officials from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperative’s 21 member nations met in Honolulu to discuss a range of policy issues affecting the Asia-Pacific region.  One development coming out of the meeting was the adoption by APEC of the Honolulu Declaration, which includes an endorsement of a self-regulatory,…
Continue Reading APEC Approves Cross-Border Privacy Initiative