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The Eu Privacy Directive And The Resulting Safe Harbor, Angela Vitale

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

The rapid growth of the Internet and the importance of international business operations have thrust the issue of Internet privacy into the center of domestic and international political debates. Varying definitions of privacy have led to numerous--often inconsistent--legislative schemes to protect privacy on the Internet. These inconsistencies have made it difficult for companies to penetrate foreign markets and to maintain international operations. Of primary concern to U.S. companies is the EU Privacy Directive. The Directive requires U.S. companies that attempt to interact with potential customers or their own employees in the European Union either to qualify for a "Safe Harbor" …