Rules for how U.S. companies handle Europeans’ personal information under the Safe Harbor agreement do not ensure adequate protection of the data, the Advocate General of the Court of Justice of the European Union has advised in an opinion that threatens the operations of thousands of companies exchanging data between the European Union and the U.S.

Advocate General Yves Bot’s opinion could open the way for national governments across the EU to set their own standards for the protection of exported data, potentially disrupting the activities of thousands of companies, including social networks, search engines and payroll processors.

The opinion, on a case relating to the activities of U.S. social network Facebook, is not binding on the court, although the judges do typically follow such opinions.

Lobby group Digital Europe, which counts Google and Microsoft but not Facebook among its members, immediately expressed concern about what will happen if the court follows the Advocate General’s opinion.

Read the Full Article: Source – PC World
Browsing Privacy: (PC World) – US protection of Europeans’ personal data is inadequate, says EU court official

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