Safe Harbor--a framework that works

Abstract

Safe Harbor is a self-regulatory framework providing adequate protection under the EU Directive for data transfers to US companies that have joined it, and is backed up by the enforcement power of the US Federal Trade Commission. From its beginnings in 2000, Safe Harbor has evolved to be an effective and innovative tool to provide protection to personal data transferred from the EU to the USA, and has over 2,500 member companies at present. Certain researchers and data protection authorities have voiced criticisms of Safe Harbor, which are based on misunderstandings and a lack of information about how it works in practice. Safe Harbor is not only an effective way to protect the transfer of personal data, but has also helped contribute to an increased interest in privacy protection in the USA over the last few years.