Privacy watchdog Antonello Soro
on Tuesday hailed a European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling that
US data storage systems operated by Facebook and other digital
operators do not protect customers from State surveillance.
Today's ruling is a victory for the Austrian law student
Maximilian Schrems, who initially brought a claim against
Facebook in Ireland in the wake of Edward Snowden's revelations
about the activities of the US National Security Agency (NSA).
"The United States safe harbor scheme...enables
interference, by United States public authorities, with the
fundamental rights of persons," said the ECJ, whose findings are
binding on all EU member States.
Safe harbour is an agreement between the European
Commission and the US that provides guidance for US firms on how
to protect the personal data of EU citizens, as required by
European Union directives.
"The ECJ has placed the issue of fundamental rights back at
the center of States' agendas," Soro said.
"We need a coordinated response at the European level,
including from privacy watchdogs," he added.
"We're assessing the most effective ways to come up with
common guidelines".
The ECJ ruling is a "milestone that makes it clear that
mass surveillance violates our fundamental rights," said
Schrems.
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