On March 25, 2022, the United States and the European Union jointly announced an “agreement in principle” to a new trans-Atlantic data privacy framework to facilitate the cross-border transfer of personal data (the “Framework”).1 As part of the Framework, the US has made “unprecedented commitments” related to intelligence collection and surveillance practices.2 The Framework would replace the prior Privacy Shield that was invalidated by the Court of Justice of the European Union (“CJEU”) in 2020 over concerns about US surveillance.3 While the details of the Framework have not yet been released—it is being “translate[d] … into legal documents”4 —this Legal Update summarizes the main points of the announcement and provides background.
