Industry Seeks Transition Period After Privacy Shield ECJ Rejection

The tech industry wants a transition to a new data sharing regime between the U.S. and Europe, after a European court rejected Privacy Shield. Early Thursday EDT, the European Court of Justice ruled against aspects of PS. The case involves Max Schrems, who has been challenging PS for some time.

The Computer & Communications Industry Association, one of the first tech groups to react, hopes "EU and U.S. decision-makers will swiftly develop a sustainable solution, in line with EU law, to ensure the continuation of data flows which underpins the transatlantic economy," said Public Policy Senior Manager Alexandre Roure. CCIA also hopes "enforcement authorities will grant Privacy Shield signatories time to migrate to alternative legal mechanisms.”

"A clear transition period" should be "put into place to allow time to get back to the negotiating table," said Internet Association Director-Trade Policy Jordan Haas. "A transition period is essential to ensure that the over 5,000 small companies on both sides of the Atlantic that rely on the Privacy Shield program can continue to leverage this privacy-protective mechanism for inter-company data transfers. IA encourages both the EU and U.S. governments to start negotiations as quickly as possible.”