back to article New EU data chief: 'We share common targets with the United States'

After failing to impress the European Parliament in her grilling last week, the new Commissioner responsible for data protection has further explained her position on agreements with the US and data protection. Asked whether she would suspend the Safe Harbour data sharing agreement with the United States, Věra Jourová said …

  1. Anonymous Coward
    Big Brother

    "She appears to accept the US assurances..."

    Sure she does... considering all the dirt they probably have on her...

  2. Mark 85

    Common Targets?

    It currently seems to be World + Dog.

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Black Helicopters

    And of course you have to rely on whether or not U.S. agencies would be truthful...

    Yeah, sure!, sure!! We'd never let our agreement with the EU be broken in the course of highly classified programs of which us U.S. negotiators will never be made aware of!

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Safe Harbor

    what could possibly go wrong?

    for the extremely paranoid nut-jobs amongst you - there's a fictional account of the last decade or so , about a half-Turkish female agent inside the spooks & mirrors world of the FBI/CIA

    Fiction, book is called "The Lone Gladio" http://www.amazon.com/The-Lone-Gladio-Volume-1/dp/0692213295

    oh, and it's co-incidentally written by a half-Turkish FBI female agent (retired) called Sibel

    I'm sure it'll be Book at Bedtime on BCB Radio 4 next week :-)

    1. big_D Silver badge

      Re: Safe Harbor

      Safe Harbor is a sop to the US to allow US based cloud businesses operate in Europe. Without it, we wouldn't have GMail and Google services, iCloud, Microsoft web services, Azure, Amazon AWS etc.

      It isn't a good solution, but it is a solution that allows some convinced, without breaking the law.

      There needs to be some more controls on the US Authorities, especially the TLAs - although the US currently seems to be doing everything they can to destroy international business for American companies.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Safe Harbor

        Safe Harbor is a sop to the US to allow US based cloud businesses operate in Europe. Without it, we wouldn't have GMail and Google services, iCloud, Microsoft web services, Azure, Amazon AWS etc.

        Safe Harbor was a political fix to stop the US from its usual tactics of blackmailing the EU in trade agreements so that US companies could still sell. It was by no means even CLOSE to guaranteeing privacy for EU citizens, the self-certification approach was a good hint.

        There is no actual solution for the privacy problem in the US because it lies much deeper than the misbehaving of practically all 3 letter agencies. What will happen is that we get another political fudge put in place, a Safe Harbor v2 so to speak, but your privacy as an EU citizen will remain very much at risk if your data is in the US.

        To fix that doesn't take a couple of months of negotiating, it takes decades of work in the US alone - and that's assuming there is actually a will to do so. Don't forget that companies are making SERIOUS money off abusing your personal details.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    In other words

    Bend over, say please

  6. Graham Marsden
    Big Brother

    "that some data protection rights for Americans shall be extended to non-Americans"

    Oh well isn't *that* generous of them!

    AMERICA, FUCK YEAH OFF!!!

  7. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

    Suspend safe harbour now..

    ... and only restore it if they can prove themselves trustworthy.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Suspend safe harbour now..

      What the actual fuck? Do you know what you're proposing? And how much it would cost? Not to mention the political ramifications

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Suspend safe harbour now..

        What the actual fuck? Do you know what you're proposing? And how much it would cost? Not to mention the political ramifications

        Don't worry, it won't happen. There's too much money involved. I am in no doubt that the US will resort to its usual tactic of trade blackmail if there isn't going to be a new "Safe Harbor"-alike excuse installed so that they can continue to raid Europe with impunity.

        But that doesn't mean there won't be other ramifications. EU companies can make a choice, and that is not affected by whatever trade agreement excuse is cooked up in Brussels.

  8. veti Silver badge

    What does this mean?

    "some data protection rights for Americans shall be extended to non-Americans"?

    In the first place, what data-protection rights do Americans have, exactly? What is it about those rights that restricts them to "Americans only", and how are those provisions legal under the 14th Amendment?

    How are you going to "extend" them, and what recourse will non-Americans have if they are breached? How is, say, a British citizen supposed to pursue a case through US federal courts and even the Supreme Court, without voluntarily putting himself within US physical jurisdiction, with all the added costs and risks that would entail?

    I'm not a lawyer, but I know enough to ask those questions. If anyone knows where to find answers, please do let me know, because the press isn't even trying.

    1. fpx
      Black Helicopters

      Re: What does this mean?

      > In the first place, what data-protection rights do Americans have, exactly?

      There is at least some debate in the US about warrantless wiretapping, and the tradeoffs between the fourth amendment and domestic spying. The debate is a bit lopsided with ACLU, EFF and New York Times versus both parties and talk show hosts claiming that blood will run down their streets if the NSA is restrained in any way, but still.

      That said, whatever is being debated about privacy vs. security, it is always applied to US persons only. There is no voice in the US arguing that non-US persons deserve any privacy whatsoever. Overseas spying is not under discussion.

      A Safe Harbor agreement that would apply "US person" rights to everyone's data would go a long way. But of course that's not the case. Also, the track record shows that US agencies like to use doublespeak, so even if such a provision was written down somewhere, I'd have a hard time believing it.

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I'm sure this makes you EU folks feel secure

    The person in charge of protecting your data shares common ground with the US, known the world over for protecting the privacy of its citizens!

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: I'm sure this makes you EU folks feel secure

      I read it more as "share common targets"

      left a bit..........right a bit............up a bit (are we agreed EU?) then FIRE drone No7923332 at target No.9936662 - that'll teach her for using PirateBay last week, OK what's the next target? Windows10 reports that someone is thinking of learning Russian at college. Bernie - next Drone ready please

  10. pdlane
    Unhappy

    what data-protection rights do Americans have, exactly?

    The answer is simple.....NONE....

    Between ameeriKAH's federal agencies scooping up every cellphone call, internet browse and on-line purchase along with google, facebook, twitter, instagram, etc etc. profiling users to sell advertising, there is no personal privacy in ameeriKAH's 4th Reich.

  11. Archie1954

    She is just another US stooge quite willing to let the US rampage through Europe breaking every law in the books. Frightened is she? Probably afraid the CIA will terminate her with extreme prejudice if she objects!

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