EU under pressure to withdraw from US data transfer deal

Privacy advocates are demanding the EU overturn a data transfer deal with the United States, after a ruling by the US Supreme Court.

Max Schrems, the Austrian privacy campaigner who took on giants such as Facebook, says the ruling by the American judges effectively renders the EU-US deal dead.

In a letter sent to the European Commission on Tuesday (30 June), Schrems says the US judges have undermined the independence of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

The FTC enforces privacy safeguards under the EU-US data transfer deal. EU law requires the FTC to be independent. But Schrems says the US Supreme Court on Monday in the case Trump v. Slaughter, made that independence unconstitutional.

“The commission built a legal house of cards under industry pressure. Now that it clearly collapses, it has to take responsibility,” said Schrems, in a press statement.