The White House applauds the preparation efforts in advance of the first annual joint review of the EU – U.S. Privacy Shield.  We firmly believe that the upcoming review will demonstrate the strength of the American promise to protect the personal data of citizens on both sides of the Atlantic.  This first-of-a-kind event brings together the expertise and resources of seven Federal agencies, hundreds of industry representatives, and other stakeholders to demonstrate the value and integrity of the Privacy Shield, which has noticeably improved transatlantic data protection practices.

The United States commitment to the Privacy Shield cannot be stronger.  Programs like the Privacy Shield and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Cross-Border Privacy Rules system enable the free flow of information, which sustains the nearly $1 trillion dollars in goods and services trade across the Atlantic, and even more around the globe.  We look forward to a successful annual review and the continuation of our constructive partnership with the European Union on the Privacy Shield framework.