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By
Tara
Seals
INTERNATIONAL AGENTs
SECTION
Goodbye, U.S.-EU
Safe Harbor
M
easuring what Internet users are doing on-
line shows that many activities are enjoyed by
billions of people. For example, more than a
billion people use the Internet to bank on-
line, to stream music and to find a job. More than 2 billion
use email and read news online. And more people than ever
before are making purchases online. In 2015, more than
$100 billion will be spent online on each of the following
categories: travel, books, CDs and DVDs, downloading
apps and online classes. These purchases are enabled by
online payment platforms that are making payments, online
and off, easier and more secure.
All of that activity is creating an enormous amount of
customer data that enterprises large and small can harness
to learn more about their customers. It’s also fomenting an
enormous amount of data being housed in the cloud – a
traditionally borderless environment. For service providers
and channel partners, increasing broadband has meant increas-
ing opportunity for communications services and data-based
value-adds. But, a monkey-wrench has entered the work
When it comes to the international landscape, appropri-
ately handling data has become exponentially more difficult
thanks to the revocation of the U.S.-EU Safe Harbor agreement
by Europe’s highest court.
The U.S.-EU Safe Harbor agreement is a trans-Atlantic
pact used by thousands of companies to allow the transfer of
Europeans’ personal information to the U.S. – data traffic
that underpins the world’s largest trading relationship.
In addition, many observers expect the EU will soon
adopt the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
with a two-year grace period for compliance. The GDPR
will apply not only to businesses based in the EU but
And why you care
24
Channel
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January - February 2016