BRUSSELS: The European Union on Tuesday launched a
controversial deal with the United States aimed at curbing government spying on the personal
internet information of European citizens.
The
deal replaces one struck down by the EU’s top court in October, a decision which left firms like Google and Facebook in legal limbo over whether they could transfer data to their US headquarters.
The court struck down that
deal based on an Austrian activist’s case against Facebook in Ireland, and its judgment cited US s**oping practices exposed by former intelligence contractor Edward S**wden.
"The EU-US
privacy Shield is a robust new system to protect the personal data of Europeans and ensure legal certainty for businesses," said EU Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova, launching the
deal with US Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker in Brussels.
The
deal will take effect within hours once EU member states are formally **tified, European officials told AFP.
"The approval of the
privacy deal is a milestone for
privacy at a time when the sharing of data is driving growth in every sector," Pritzker told a press conference
with Jourova.
The
deal will "facilitate more trade across our borders, more collaboration across the Atlantic and more job creating investments in our communities," Pritzker said.
Jourova insisted the
deal offers the "highest standards" to protect the personal data of EU citizens.
But critics say it amounts to "a little upgrade" over the previous arrangement, called Safe Harbour.
Austrian
internet activist Max Schrems, who brought the original case against Facebook, said the new
deal was likely to face fresh legal challenges.
"This
deal is bad for users," Schrems said in a statement on Tuesday, adding that it was the result of pressure from Washington.
The old agreement effectively meant that Europe treated the United States as a safe destination for
internet data on the basis that Brussels and Washington adhered to similar standards.
Safe Harbour was declared "invalid" by the European Court of Justice, citing National Security Agency documents leaked by S**wden in 2013.
Top US companies including Facebook, Google and Microsoft in particular have been eager to end the legal void, because they transfer data from their European subsidiaries to their headquarters in the United States.
The
deal includes commitments by the US to limit the use of bulk-collected intelligence, the appointment of a US ombudsman to
deal with complaints by European citizens, and fines for firms that do **t comply.
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