The data protection rules in Europe require that all personal data transferred to countries outside the Union should benefit from "adequate protection". The EU recently prepared standard terms for organisations to use to ensure that such protection is in place for personal data transfers.
The EU’s standard contractual clauses were neither compulsory for businesses, nor were they the only way of lawfully transferring data to other countries. They merely added a new possibility to those already existing under the Data Protection Directive.
However, the CBI’s decision to amend these standard clauses follows criticism that the originals were confusing and vague. The CBI hopes to have simplified versions of the standard clauses will be finalised by the end of September.