BRUSSELS -- Today, global tech trade association ITI issued the following statement on the European Commission’s adoption of new Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) for international data transfers:
“Standard contractual clauses are a vital tool for international data transfers, moreso than ever since the invalidation of Privacy Shield last July,” said John Miller, ITI’s Senior Vice President of Policy, Trust, Data and Technology. “While we are still analyzing the details published today, we welcome the Commission’s alignment of SCCs with the General Data Protection Regulation’s risk-based approach, including to reflect documented practical experiences of companies using SCCs for compliance purposes. We also appreciate the clarification of obligations between parties and the extension of the transition period for companies that are currently using previous sets of SCCs.
“In parallel, we respectfully urge leaders to stay focused on reaching an enhanced EU-U.S. Privacy Shield agreement, which is essential to maintaining transatlantic data flows. It’s critically important that all stakeholders, including public authorities, law enforcement, consumer groups, academics, research bodies, and industry, come together to reflect and explain the role data flows play in underpinning our modern lives.”
In December, ITI submitted comments to the European Commission’s updated SCCs for transferring personal data to non-EU countries.