EU Official: FTC Should Inspect Facebook Through Privacy Shield Lens
The FTC should investigate Facebook with Privacy Shield guidelines in mind, said European Union Justice Commissioner Vera Jourová Wednesday, saying the recent scandal has major implications for personal privacy and democracy (see 1803200047). During a visit to Washington, Jourová met…
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with Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, R-Wis. Conversations were dominated by the Facebook/Cambridge Analytica scandal, the Privacy Shield, the EU general data protection regulation (GDPR) and the Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use of Data (Cloud) Act, she said. The discussion with Sessions involved bringing law enforcement tools up to speed for today’s digital reality, which criminals are taking advantage of, she said. Describing the digital age as a tumultuous period for privacy, Jourová said the EU is ahead of the U.S. on protecting consumer privacy. The Cloud Act and similar legislation the EU plans to adopt in April were crafted in the same vein as the GDPR, she said. She called the EU GDPR and the U.S. Cloud Act important steps in balancing security with privacy rights, which could help inform the debate before the U.S. Supreme Court in the Microsoft-Ireland case (see 1802270052).