EU-U.S. and Swiss-U.S. Privacy Shield Program Update

EU-U.S. and Swiss-U.S. Privacy Shield Program Update

On behalf of the U.S. Department of Commerce, the International Trade Administration’s Privacy Shield Team would like to thank all current Privacy Shield participants for their commitments to comply with the strong data protection requirements in the EU-U.S. and Swiss-U.S. Privacy Shield Frameworks.

As of July 2018, over 3,300 organizations participate in the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield program and approximately 2,000 organizations participate in the Swiss-U.S. Privacy Shield program.

In recent months, an additional 1,000 organizations have submitted first-time certification applications to the Privacy Shield Team. We appreciate your patience during this “surge” period as we conduct meticulous reviews of these self-certifications from new applicants along with the annual re-certification submissions we receive from existing Privacy Shield participants.

Useful Links

For organizations seeking to learn more about the Privacy Shield programs, the following Privacy Shield website links provide important information about certification requirements, the rights and redress mechanisms available to EU and Swiss individuals, frequently asked questions, and recent developments:

Overview of Privacy Shield for US, EU and Swiss Businesses

Overview of Privacy Shield for EU and Swiss Individuals

How to Self-Certify to Privacy Shield

FAQs

For answers to frequently asked questions, please check out our FAQs—which were recently updated to address the following:

• How can a Privacy Shield participant adhere to the Frameworks’ Principles when transferring personal data from the European Union (EU) to the United States exclusively for processing purposes?
• How can an organization prepare to come into compliance with the Accountability for Onward Transfer Principle?
• At the time of initial self-certification, when should an organization’s privacy policy be updated to refer to the Privacy Shield certification?
• Will the Privacy Shield continue to serve as a data transfer mechanism under the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)?
• Does the Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use of Data Act (CLOUD Act) affect the Privacy Shield Framework?

Recent News/Events

To learn more about the following program developments, please visit our News and Events page.

• July 2, 2018
  The Federal Trade Commission Settles with Company Over False Privacy Shield Claims
•  May 11, 2018
  How Privacy Shield Helps with GDPR Compliance
•  May 1, 2018
  U.S. Government Actions to Strengthen Privacy Shield
•  April 2, 2018
  Invitation for Swiss-U.S. Privacy Shield Arbitrator Applications
•  March 9, 2018
  The International Trade Administration Begins Privacy Shield Compliance Reviews