May 25, 2018 is known to many as GDPR day because it is the day the EU new data protection legislation - “GDPR” - becomes applicable.   All U.S. businesses doing business in Europe, seeking to sell to EU persons, or that have clients or employees in Europe should be aware of the GDPR and assess what obligations they may have under the GDPR.  Should you care?  Check out some common misconceptions about GDPR to help you answer that question. 

“GDPR does not apply to me, I am strictly a B2B company.”

False.  Personal data is defined very broadly by the GDPR and includes information such as business email addresses so many B2B companies will likely fall within the scope of the GDPR.

“I am doing very little business with Europe; I don’t have any offices or employees there.”

The GDPR potentially applies to any organization, big or small, public or private sector. The location of the company is not a criteria, the processing of EU personal data is.

“Ok but my company is not Facebook or Google, this is not meant for me.”

The GDPR definition of personal data is a lot broader than how the U.S. typically defines PII; a work email address is personal data under EU law.

What can you do?  Check out our page on GDPR and contact your local Commercial Service office for more information.

https://www.export.gov/article?id=EU-NEW-DATA-PRIVACY-LEGISLATION-GDPR

Network and Information Security Directive

On May 9, another more discrete piece of EU legislation became a reality in Europe: the Network and Information Security (NIS) Directive.  It sets a minimum baseline of requirements to ensure better protection of critical infrastructures in Europe. The legislation targets three groups of stakeholders. It directs operators of essential services (OES) and digital service providers (DSP) to ensure they apply basic common security requirements.  It also sets basic principles for Member States to improve strategic cooperation.

While this legislation will only directly apply to a relatively small number of U.S. companies, it does create market opportunities for U.S. solution providers.  EU Member States are expected to equip themselves with both technical and organizational capabilities to manage incidents and risks. OES/DSP must match new requirements in the areas of security of systems and facilities; incident handling; business continuity management; monitoring, auditing and testing.  EUR38 million in public EU funding will be made available for procurement under the Connecting Europe Facility programme.

More information here: https://www.export.gov/article?id=New-EU-Cyber-Security-legislation and official EU statement here: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_STATEMENT-18-3650_en.htm

On May 8th, 2018, new “Privacy Protection Regulations (Data Security) 5777-2017” (Israel Regulations for Data Security, or IRDS) went into effect.  Although IRDS is similar to the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the two regulations should not be confused.  The U.S. Commercial Service team in Tel Aviv has issued a short report introducing American companies to Israel’s IRDS requirements and provides a comparison between the IRDS and GDPR provisions. It is critical that companies operating in Israel be fully aware of the regulations. For more information visit: https://www.export.gov/article?id=Israel-Data-Protection-Regulation

The U.S. Department of Commerce welcomes U.S. business executives interested in advancing U.S.-India commercial relations to apply to the U.S.-India CEO Forum. Established in 2005, the U.S.-India CEO Forum brings together leaders of the respective business communities of the United States and India to discuss issues of mutual interest, particularly ways to strengthen the economic and commercial ties between the two countries, and to communicate their joint recommendations to the U.S. and Indian governments. Applications are due May 25. Please review the Federal Register Notice link for additional details: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2018/04/10/2018-07236/request-for-applicants-for-the-appointment-to-the-united-states-india-ceo-forum

The U.S. Commercial Service in partnership with Reed Exhibitions is organizing a U.S. Pavilion at InfoSecurity Europe, June 5-7, 2018, in London. The UK market alone is worth approximately $5 billion and is the most concentrated in Europe. This show represents an opportunity to identify buyers, partners, and business development representatives to position your business for growth as companies adjust to new data privacy regulations and a changing and increasingly cloud-based landscape. 

Participants in the U.S. Pavilion will benefit from counseling and support from the U.S. Commercial Service team at the U.S. Embassy in London, connections to buyers, and networking opportunities.

For more information, contact Tony Pu at Tony.Pu@trade.gov or Claudia Colombo at Claudia.Colombo@trade.gov. 

Since its launch in 2015, CES Asia has grown rapidly, reinforcing the event as a high-profile showcase for consumer technologies in China. The U.S. Commercial Service at the U.S. Consulate General in Shanghai is organizing a U.S. Product Exhibit and Trade Show Representation for U.S. ICT companies interested in building contacts in Asia, but not able to attend the show in person. Participating companies will be featured on the U.S. Commercial Service Shanghai's website, promoted to potential partners and buyers at the show, and given a consolidated listing of contacts for follow-up.

Deadline to apply is May 31st. For more information, contact Jane Shen at Jane.Shen@trade.gov.  

The U.S. Commercial Service is organizing a U.S. Pavilion at ConnecTech Asia 2018 in Singapore this June 26-28th. With booming investments in Smart City technologies across the ASEAN region, as well as one of the deepest mobile IT/data penetrations in the world, ConnecTech Asia is the best opportunity to connect with buyers from ASEAN and Asia-wide. To support U.S. exporters, U.S. Commercial Service representatives at the U.S. embassies in the ten ASEAN member states are recruiting buyer delegations to meet with exhibiting U.S. companies and facilitate networking opportunities.  

To join the U.S. Pavilion, contact Deborah Misouria at: Deborah.Misoura@trade.gov.