Recently, there’s been a debate in some circles in Europe about whether the agreements that cover data flows between the US and Europe provide adequate privacy protections.
As a global cloud provider, we’re often asked by our customers how we protect customer data within the frameworks of local privacy laws, and in particular in the EU. Our approach, just like over 2,500 other US companies that offer services in Europe, is guided by the US - EU Safe Harbor Agreement, which is designed to ensure that transatlantic data transfers remain protected according to seven core EU-like privacy principles. In practice, for Google, Safe Harbor means our users in both Europe and the US can be sure they’re getting not just the same level of service, but also the same level of privacy protection.
In fact, Safe Harbor has become the global framework by which many multinationals organize their global privacy compliance efforts, extending its reach far beyond the narrow explicit confines of data transfers from Europe to the US. Or as Damon Greer, the US government official currently responsible for Safe Harbor, recently put it in an eloquent rebuttal of the critiques of the program, “safe harbour has been a resounding success … facilitating the recognition by US business that privacy is a critical factor to success in the global marketplace.”
To learn more about this go to: European Public Policy Blog post.
To learn more about this go to: European Public Policy Blog post.
No comments:
Post a Comment