15-year-old 'Safe Harbour' agreement between the US and EU should not stop data transfers being suspended, legal counsel says. [...]

It marks a major departure from the “Safe Harbour” data sharing agreement between the European Commission, US and Switzerland reached in 2000, with potentially far-reaching consequences. While Wednesday's statement is only a recommendation, in practice, the Advocate-General is rarely overruled by the court. [...]

The ECJ can be expected to make a final decision in a few months’ time. If it agrees with the Advocate General, it could have widespread consequences for how data is collected and used by American technology companies. [...]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/internet/11884432/EUs-data-sharing...