BRUSSELS, July 10 (Reuters) - The European Commission announced a new data transfer pact with the United States on Monday, seeking to end the legal uncertainty plaguing thousands of companies which transfer personal data across the Atlantic.
However, the move was immediately criticised by non-profit group noyb, led by privacy activist Max Schrems, which said it would challenge the agreement.
The EU executive said measures taken by the United States ensured an adequate level of protection for Europeans' personal data transferred across the Atlantic for commercial use.
It said new binding safeguards, such as that limiting U.S. intelligence services' access to EU data to what is "necessary and proportionate" and the setting up of a Data Protection Review Court for Europeans, address the concerns raised by Europe's top court.
Earlier this year, EU privacy watchdog the European Data Protection Board said the latest data agreement still fell short and urged the Commission to do more to protect Europeans' privacy rights.
Persons:
Max Schrems, Didier Reynders, Schrems, Cecilia Bonefeld, Dahl, Foo Yun Chee, Philip Blenkinsop, Christina Fincher
Organizations:
European Commission, EU, Atlantic, European Court, Justice, Airbus, Apple, Ericsson, Nokia, Philips, Samsung, European Data Protection, Commission, Thomson
Locations:
BRUSSELS, United States, EU