Timothy J. Toohey

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Privacy Shield certifications reach 2,000, still far short of Safe Harbor

April 24, 2017Media Mention
CQ Roll Call

Timothy Toohey was quoted in an article published by CQ Roll Call on April 24, 2017, about the number of Privacy Shield-certified companies under the new program allowing transfers of personal data from Europe to the United States. Privacy Shield’s certification numbers are well short of previous certifications under the former Safe Harbor program.

Toohey, commenting on the lower number of certifications, Privacy Shield's tougher requirements, and doubts about the longevity of the program said, "Some companies are still taking a wait-and-see approach. They don't want to subscribe to something that won't be around for a long time."

Toohey further added, “Signing up for Privacy Shield is not a trivial thing. If not forced to by a client, they may not be taking this as seriously as they should."

According to the article, an April 20th presentation by Caitlin Fennessy, senior policy adviser for the Data Flows and Privacy Team at the Commerce Department's International Trade Administration, which runs the Privacy Shield program, more than 500 of the Privacy Shield-certified firms are consultancies and nearly 450 are technology firms. Other industries had fewer than 100 certifications.