U.S. sets out limits on spying as part of new EU data pact

PanARMENIAN.Net - The United States has set out limits to its use of data collected in bulk about European citizens after a new information-sharing pact was agreed this month, Reuters reports citing documents it has seen.

A clear explanation of what information could be used for -- preventing its "indiscriminate" and "arbitrary" use -- was a key condition of the new Privacy Shield framework that enables firms to easily transfer personal data to the United States.

Under the deal, Washington agreed to create a specific new role within the State Department to deal with complaints and enquiries forwarded by EU data protection agencies. There will also be an alternative dispute resolution mechanism to resolve grievances and a joint annual review of the accord.

In a letter to the U.S. Department of Commerce, Robert Litt, General Counsel of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, says data collected in bulk can only be used for six specific purposes, including counterterrorism or cybersecurity, Reuters says.

Crucially, U.S. authorities would apply the same safeguards against indiscriminate data collection to information being transmitted through transatlantic cables. That addresses a key European concern that information gathered outside the United States was afforded fewer protections.

"The exception for bulk collection will not swallow the general rule," Litt writes.

Privacy became a sore topic between the EU and the United States after revelations from former U.S. intelligence contractor Edward Snowden in 2013 about mass U.S. government surveillance practices.

That ultimately led to a top EU court invalidating Safe Harbour, the previous framework, last year, leaving thousands of companies in a legal limbo.