Dive Brief:
- According to a report from Reuters, the United States has outlined its bulk data collection rules, a step required under the new Privacy Shield framework.
- One of the main conditions of the rules is that companies must clearly explain what the transferred data might be used for. The new framework replaced the 15-year-old Safe Harbour agreement and enables firms to transfer personal data to the U.S.
- Robert Litt, General Counsel of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, said in a letter to the U.S. Department of Commerce that those transferring data in bulk could only use it for six specific purposes, which include counterterrorism or cybersecurity, according to Reuters.
Dive Insight:
For the first time, the Privacy Shield will give Europeans a way to complain about U.S. agents' access to data transferred under the framework. Washington also agreed to create an ombudsman position within the State Department to deal with complaints from EU data protection agencies. Reuters reports that Under Secretary of State Catherine Novelli will take the role. There will also be a joint annual review of the agreement.
The old Safe Harbour agreement, under which businesses transferred personal information of EU citizens to the U.S. for storage and processing, was ruled invalid by the EU last October. Earlier this month, the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield, a successor to the Safe Harbour agreement, created a new transatlantic data transmission framework. The U.S. and EU are currently working to finalize the Privacy Shield agreement.
