CompTIA Thanks Department of Commerce, EU for New Safe Harbor Agreement

CompTIA, the Computing Technology Industry Association, released the following statement on a new draft Safe Harbor agreement (which will be called the "EU-U.S. Privacy Shield") announced today by European Commissioner Vera Jourova.

The prior Safe Harbor agreement, which provided guidelines for U.S. companies to securely transfer data from the EU to the U.S., was struck down by the EU Court of Justice in October. Without a new agreement, thousands of U.S. companies would have been left without a way to transfer data across the Atlantic without risking penalties from European Data Protection Authorities. The following statement should be attributed to Elizabeth Hyman, Executive Vice President, CompTIA.


"We would like to thank the European Commission and the U.S. Department of Commerce for their hard work in crafting this new draft EU-U.S. Privacy Shield Agreement. This is a major step forward for the 4,000+ American companies who transferred data across the Atlantic under the Safe Harbor. However, there is much work to be done before this new agreement can be put into effect, and we hope the process continues to move forward in this critical time for the future of EU-U.S. commerce."

About CompTIA

The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) is the voice of the information technology industry. With approximately 2,000 member companies, 3,000 academic and training partners and nearly 2 million IT certifications issued, CompTIA is dedicated to advancing industry growth through educational programs, market research, networking events, professional certifications and public policy advocacy. Visit CompTIA online, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Through its advocacy arm, CompTIA champions member-driven business and IT priorities that impact all information technology companies – from small managed solutions providers and software developers to large equipment manufacturers and communications service providers. CompTIA gives eyes, ears and a voice to technology companies, informing them of policy developments – and providing the means to do something about it.