US Is Doing What It Can to Reduce Privacy Shield Uncertainty, DOC Official Says
U.S. government is "always mindful of the uncertainty" about Privacy Shield and is doing its best to ensure the trans-Atlantic personal data transfer framework continues to work for American companies, James Sullivan, deputy assistant secretary of the Department of Commerce…
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International Trade Administration, told reporters Thursday. There are legal and political challenges plus questions about when the Trump administration will appoint the permanent ombudsman required by PS, he said. European Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality Commissioner Vera Jourova said Wednesday she's losing patience over the time it's taking to do so, and that if the position isn't filled by the end of February, the EC will consider cracking down (see 1812190002). Europe calls the role a "permanent ombudsman," but Sullivan stressed that the acting official, Manisha Singh, has all powers needed. Any ombudsman will always be "independent, experienced and empowered" according to the terms of PS, said Sullivan. The nomination process is underway, and so far, no requests for assistance from the office have been received, he said: The State Department has made public the ombudsman's procedures about how the system works. His office is sensitive to EU concerns about the situation, but an ombudsman mechanism has been fully resourced for two years and is functioning, added Sullivan. He cited the European Commission's "very positive second annual review" of the system, saying the EC made clear PS is a success and EU-U.S. collaboration over the past year enhanced it. Since the system's August 2016 launch, over 4,200 companies have committed to it, most small to mid-sized enterprises, he said.