Sassy Viewpoint: European Data Can Relax on American Servers
Nearly three years after a 2020 court decision threatened to disrupt transatlantic e-commerce, the European Union has approved a plan that will allow US tech giants to continue storing data about European users on American soil. The Trans-Atlantic Data Privacy Framework, announced by the European Commission on Monday, includes the establishment of a Data Protection Review Court in the US, giving Europeans a legal recourse if their data privacy rights are violated. This agreement also restricts access to European user data by US intelligence agencies.
The Long Road to Agreement
This new framework is the latest development in a saga that spans over a decade. Earlier this year, the EU fined Meta €1.2 billion for transferring EU user data to US servers in violation of digital privacy laws. While this agreement may prevent Meta from deleting data, it may still be required to pay the fine. However, challenges may still arise as Max Schrems, the lawyer behind previous legal challenges to transatlantic data transfer agreements, plans to challenge the new framework citing the need for changes in US surveillance law. Despite potential obstacles, the European Commission remains confident in defending the new framework in court.
