UK formalises data transfer deal with US

September 21, 2023 11:23 PM

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The UK on Thursday formalised an agreement authorising the transfer of personal data with the US, extending a recent deal struck between Brussels and Washington.

The agreement will establish a "data bridge" with the US "through the UK Extension" to the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, according to a document published Thursday on the government website.

The government said the decision "was based on their determination that the framework maintains high standards of privacy for UK personal data."

UK businesses and organisations will be able to "safely and securely transfer personal data to certified organisations in the US" once the regulations come into force on October 12, it added.

The EU-US deal, adopted in July, was a landmark measure for the digital economy, following European court rulings that outlawed previous frameworks.

The most recent, "Privacy Shield", was annulled in 2020, ahead of the UK's effective exit from the European Union in January 2021.

That framework and its predecessor were challenged by Austrian privacy activist Max Schrems over concerns about the protection of EU data transferred to the US, where it could be subject to surveillance by US intelligence services.

The activist has already announced he will challenge the latest deal at the Court of Justice of the European Union, a procedure that will take several months.