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Privacy Shield

Law

GDPR Data Sovereignty Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) Jurisdiction

Former EU–US data transfer mechanism; no longer a valid basis for GDPR transfers after court rulings.

Definition

The EU–US Privacy Shield framework was designed to provide safeguards for EU personal data transferred to the US. It was invalidated, shifting reliance to other mechanisms (e.g., SCCs) and supplementary measures.

In plain English Former EU–US data transfer mechanism; no longer a valid basis for GDPR transfers after court rulings.

Why this matters

Why it matters: Transfer mechanisms determine what legal protections apply to personal data and what remedies users may have.

Example

Example: An EU company transfers data to a US processor using SCCs plus encryption and strict access controls, rather than Privacy Shield.