The Snowden Revelations, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership and the Divide between U.S.-E.U. in Data Privacy Protection

Abstract

The paper analyses the key differences in data privacy protection between the European Union and the United States in reference to the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership and the reactions in Europe following the Snowden revelations.

The Snowden revelations took place in the midst of negotiations on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. The first round of negotiations took place on July 8th in Washington D.C. The Spiegel revealed that the U.S. government had been spying on its European Union “partners.” The French and German governments were reported to be outraged, with some parliamentarians calling for a suspension of the talks. The revelations are seen as a strong negotiating tool in the hands of the EU, as there is a significant difference in the protection of data privacy between Europe and the United States. The negotiations are currently through their sixth round.

Keywords: data privacy, European Union, United States, Divide, Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership