The European Commission recently adopted a new adequacy decision concerning the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework (DPF) on July 10, 2023. This decision ensures that personal data can flow freely and safely between the EU and participating U.S. companies. The framework replaces the previous EU-U.S. Privacy Shield, which was invalidated by the European Court of Justice in 2020 due to concerns over U.S. surveillance practices. The new framework introduces enhanced safeguards, such as limiting access by U.S. intelligence agencies to EU data to what is necessary and proportionate, and creating an independent redress mechanism for EU individuals.
To adopt the new adequacy decision for your website, you need to comply with GDPR requirements and ensure that your data transfer practices align with the DPF principles. This includes clearly informing users through privacy policies about how their data will be used, stored, and transferred. When launching a European website, you should minimize the burden of privacy policy pop-ups by using them only where necessary (e.g., when collecting cookies or obtaining consent for data transfers). However, these pop-ups must be informative and offer real choices to users to comply with EU law.
Additionally, if your website or services involve hosting data, choosing a server location within the EU can simplify compliance with GDPR. This ensures that the data remains within the EU’s legal jurisdiction, avoiding potential issues with data transfers to non-EU countries. If you opt for a U.S. host, ensure the provider is certified under the DPF to maintain compliance.
Can webflow put together a team that will work with European specialists to identify the applicable European data protection laws and make them easy to implement for webflow users?