IBIA responds to new EU-US privacy framework for secure data transfers

The International Biometrics + Identity Association (IBIA) has urged United States and EU Commission negotiators involved in implementing the new Privacy Shield agreement to ensure that the privacy system they form represents a strong, consistent, and easily understandable procedure which facilitates secure data transfers between Europe and the United States.

On February 2, the EU-US negotiating team announced the “Privacy Shield” agreement, a new framework for effectively managing data flows between Europe and the United States.

Privacy Shield includes a set of strict guidelines to facilitate the secure and seamless transfer of data between the EU and US, as well as recommends greater oversight of data transfers by the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the US Department of Commerce.

Before the details of Privacy Shield are finalized and made public, IBIA has recommended the EU and US to form a strong, mutually beneficial, easily understood privacy system that will be less disruptive to businesses.

Additionally, IBIA states that these recommendations will help instill a greater sense of trust in matters requiring the sharing of sensitive data such as biometrics.

“The ongoing privacy policy battle between the US and EU continues to cause a great deal of uncertainty. That uncertainty is very disruptive to business on both sides of the Atlantic,” said Tovah LaDier, managing director of IBIA. “Coming to a common understanding on privacy will allow for more stable transatlantic data flows while encouraging international cooperation on critical matters of border security, the war on terror, and law enforcement.”

IBIA is a non-profit organization that advances the adoption and responsible use of technology-based identification solutions for managing human identity to ultimately improve security, privacy, productivity, and convenience for individuals, organizations, and governments.

In September, the International Biometrics & Identification Association (IBIA) welcomed the release of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) biometrics framework, and proposed the formation of a forum to discuss its findings.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  data protection  |  data sharing  |  European Commission  |  IBIA  |  identity management  |  privacy  |  Tovah LaDier  |  United States