(Telecompaper) The European Commission has approved the Privacy Shield agreement with the US on the transfer of personal data cross the Atlantic. The Commission said that the final agreement was amended following concerns from the EU data protection authorities (Art. 29 working party) and the European Data Protection Supervisor, as well as a resolution of the European Parliament. This resulted in a number of clarifications and improvements compared to the draft agreement presented in February, on issues such as bulk collection of data, strengthening the new ombudsperson and more explicit obligations on companies as regards limits on retention and onward transfers.
Once the Commission sends its 'adequacy decision' to the member states of the EU, and the agreement is published in the US Official Journal, the agreement will come into effect immediately.