[20050125]RS20823_欧盟和美国关于个人数据隐私的“安全港”协议.pdf

1 This report was originally prepared by Patricia A. Wertman, Specialist in International Tradeand Finance, Foreign Affairs, Defense and Trade Division. 2 This and other official EU documents relating to data protection can be found athttp:/europa.eu.int/comm/internal_market/en/dataprot/.Congressional Research Service The Library of CongressCRS Report for CongressReceived through the CRS WebOrder Code RS20823Updated January 25, 2005The EU-U.S. “Safe Harbor” Agreement onPersonal Data PrivacyMartin A. WeissAnalyst in International Trade and FinanceForeign Affairs, Defense, and Trade DivisionSummaryThe European Union (EU) Data Privacy Directive adopted by the EuropeanParliament and Council on October 24, 1995 prevents EU-based organizations, publicand private, from transferring personal data to countries where the legal protections forpersonal data are not deemed “adequate.” This Directive, intended to harmonizenational European privacy policies, allowed EU member countries three years toimplement the Directive. To prevent the interruption of data transfers, the U.S.Department of Commerce (DOC) negotiated the “Safe Harbor” Agreement with the EU.While the EU has recently stated that al