The issue has dragged on for years. The US looked at EU banking transactions for five years from the 2001 terrorist attacks in the US without the public knowing about it. Once the New York Times exposed the practice in 2006 various EU authorities have fought over how much info the US should have access to.
EU executive body the European Commission, whose bosses are nominated by EU Goverrnments, has tried time and again to get data-access programmes up and running. The European Parliament, which is directly elected by largely powerless bar some veto powers, has consistently argued for better privacy protections in the proposed deals.
Earlier this year the Parliament opposed a Commission deal and sent it and the US back to the drawing board. A revised deal has now been published.
Last week we reported privacy expert Dr Chris Pounder's criticisms of that deal. Now the EDPS has published an opinion (9-page / 68KB PDF) on it. He says that some of the new protections for privacy are welcome, but that EU citizens still get a raw deal on privacy.
He wants better protection against the bulk transfer of data; rules to reduce the length of time the US can keep data; and better independent oversight of the data transfers.
