Illustration by William Joel / The Verge
The European Union’s top court has invalidated a key data-sharing protocol that allows American companies to transfer personal information about EU citizens to the US. The court says the regulation, known as Privacy Shield, is invalid as it does not protect EU citizens from mass surveillance programs operated by American intelligence agencies like the NSA.
The ruling in the case, known as Schrems II, after its original claimant, privacy activist and lawyer Max Schrems, will have a profound effect on a range of US businesses, from banks to law firms. But it will be of particular concern to large tech companies like Facebook that handle large amounts of personal data….