Politico, December 9, 2020

By Alexandra Levine

An end-of-year Senate Commerce hearing today will set the stage for the high-stakes talks expected to start anew next year over a privacy pact to govern international data flows, which were upended with the European Union’s rejection of its Privacy Shield deal with the US. While the session will focus partly on “what steps the US Government is taking to develop a successor” to the pact, it will also serve as a retrospective of why the agreement between the US and EU flamed out.

The committee will hear from James Sullivan, a deputy assistant secretary at the Commerce Department; FTC Commissioner Noah Phillips; and Victoria Espinel, president and CEO of BSA | The Software Alliance, among others. Sullivan’s remarks in particular could shed light on the state of talks between the EU and US and what next steps could look like under the incoming Biden administration.

Espinel, whose trade group represents Microsoft, Oracle and other tech companies, in her prepared testimony said that the need for an “enhanced” new Privacy Shield pact is “urgent.” But she’ll also suggest the US form a broader coalition with “like-minded democratic countries” who share a commitment to free data flows.

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Original Posting: https://www.politico.com/newsletters/morning-tech/2020/12/09/what-todays-end-of-year-senate-privacy-hearing-means-for-2021-792147