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Under that Privacy Shield agreement that came into force in
August, the United States agreed to limit the collection of and
access to Europeans' data stored on U.S. servers because of EU
concerns about data privacy and mass U.S. surveillance.
That pact came after a previous deal, called Safe Harbour, was
thrown out by the EU's top court in October 2015, leaving
thousands of firms scrambling for legal ways to provide data on
transactions ranging from credit cards to travel and e-commerce
that underpin billions of dollars of transatlantic trade.
The Swiss-US Privacy Shield agreement applies the same
conditions as the EU for sending personal data from Switzerland
to companies based in the United States, the Swiss government
said after a cabinet meeting.
The European Commission said in November it asked the United
States about a secret court order that Yahoo used to scan
thousands of customer emails for possible terrorism links amid
concerns that may have violated the new data pact.
The United States had pledged not to engage in mass,
indiscriminate espionage, assuaging Commission concerns about
the privacy of Europeans' data stored on U.S. servers following
disclosures of intrusive U.S. surveillance programs in 2013 by
former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden.
Privacy Shield provides for a joint annual review to ensure the
United States is respecting its commitment to limit the amount
of data hoovered up by U.S. agents.
(Reporting by Michael Shields; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)
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