Since the Snowden disclosures we know that the US engages in mass surveillance of EU users by scooping up personal data from US Big Tech. The

US Cloud soon illegal? Trump punches first hole in EU-US Data Deal.

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2025-01-23 00:00:16

Since the Snowden disclosures we know that the US engages in mass surveillance of EU users by scooping up personal data from US Big Tech. The "Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board" (PCLOB) is the key US oversight authority for these laws. The New York Times now reports, that Democratic Members of the (officially "independent") PCLOB, have received letters, demanding them to resign by Friday night. This would bring the number of appointed Members below the threshold to have PCLOB operate and question the independence of all other executive redress bodies in the US.

The European Union has relied on these US boards and tribunals to find that the US provides "adequate" protection of personal data. Relying on PCLOB and other mechanisms, the European Commission allows European personal data to flow freely to the US in the so-called "Transatlantic Data Privacy Framework" (TADPF). Thousands of EU businesses, government agencies or schools rely on these provisions. Without TADPF, they would need to stop using US Cloud Providers like Apple, Google, Microsoft or Amazon instantly.