DEC 09, 2020 | US
What Today’s End-of-Year Senate Privacy Hearing Means for 2021
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.
Original Posting: https://www.politico.com/newsletters/morning-tech/2020/12/09/what-todays-end-of-year-senate-privacy-hearing-means-for-2021-792147
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BSA | The Software Alliance (www.bsa.org) is the leading advocate for the global software industry before governments and in the international marketplace. Its members are among the world’s most innovative companies, creating software solutions that help businesses of all sizes in every part of the economy to modernize and grow.
With headquarters in Washington, DC, and operations in more than 30 countries, BSA pioneers compliance programs that promote legal software use and advocates for public policies that foster technology innovation and drive growth in the digital economy.