The European Commission has launched a new transatlantic data privacy agreement that aims to create much stronger privacy protection for consumers than its controversial predecessor.In a statement, the EC said that the new framework protects the fundamental rights of anyone in the EU whose personal data is transferred to the United States as well as bringing legal clarity for businesses relying on transatlantic data transfers.Andrus Ansip, Commission Vice-President for the Digital Single Market, said: “We have approved the new EU-U.S. Privacy Shield today. It will protect the personal data of our people and provide clarity for businesses.”We have worked hard with all our partners in Europe and in the US to get this deal right and to have it done as soon as possible. Data flows between our two continents are essential to our society and economy – we now have a robust framework ensuring these transfers take place in the best and safest conditions”.Věra Jourová, Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality said: “The EU-U.S. Privacy Shield is a robust new system to protect the personal data of Europeans and ensure legal certainty for businesses. It brings stronger data protection standards that are better enforced, safeguards on government access, and easier redress for individuals in case of complaints.”The new framework will restore the trust of consumers when their data is transferred across the Atlantic. We have worked together with the European data protection authorities, the European Parliament, the Member States and our U.S. counterparts to put in place an arrangement with the highest standards to protect Europeans' personal data”.Privacy shield take the place of Safe Harbor, a similar legal framework which was ruled invalid by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) last year.Safe Harbor allowed data to be transferred so long as companies stated they were in compliance with European privacy standards but US tech companies have not been able to prevent agencies like the NSA from snooping on foreign data.This led to calls for its dissolution following the Snowden-led revelations of 2013.But not all happy about the introduction of Privacy Shield.In a letter to a number of top-ranking European officials in March, 27 groups including Amnesty International, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said that the replacement to the previous Safe Harbor agreement “will put users at risk, undermine trust in the digital economy, and perpetuate the human rights violations that are already occurring as a result of surveillance programs and other activities.”

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