WASHINGTON, Oct 7 (KUNA) -- US President Joe Biden signed Friday an Executive Order (EO) on Enhancing Safeguards for United States Signals Intelligence Activities.
The EO will direct the steps that the US will take to implement commitments under the EU-US Data Privacy Framework (EU-US DPF).
The White House said in a fact sheet that transatlantic data flows are "critical" to enabling the USD 7.1 trillion EU-US economic relationship.
It added that the EU-US DPF will "restore an important legal basis for transatlantic data flows by addressing concerns that the Court of Justice of the European Union raised in striking down the prior EU-US Privacy Shield framework as a valid data transfer mechanism under EU law." It affirmed that the EO "bolsters an already rigorous array of privacy and civil liberties safeguards for US signals intelligence activities.
"It also creates an independent and binding mechanism enabling individuals in qualifying states and regional economic integration organizations, as designated under the EO, to seek redress if they believe their personal data was collected through US signals intelligence in a manner that violated applicable US law," according to the fact sheet.
The EU-US DPF represents the culmination of a joint effort by the US and the European Commission "to restore trust and stability to transatlantic data flows and reflects the strength of the enduring EU-US relationship based on our shared values." The DPF was announced by Biden and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in March.
In the EO, Biden wrote that the US collects signals intelligence so that its "national security decision-makers have access to the timely, accurate and insightful information necessary to advance the national security interests of the United States and to protect its citizens and the citizens of its allies and partners from harm." He added that the US "must preserve and continue to develop robust and technologically advanced signals intelligence capabilities to protect our security and that of our allies and partners.
"At the same time, the United States recognizes that signals intelligence activities must take into account that all persons should be treated with dignity and respect, regardless of their nationality or wherever they might reside and that all persons have legitimate privacy interests in the handling of their personal information," he continued.
"Therefore, this order establishes safeguards for such signals intelligence activities". (end) si.hb