UK and US advance data bridge deal

The United Kingdom and US are inching closer to an accord that will aid personal data flow across the Atlantic.

Currently, British businesses needing to send personal data to an internet service provider (ISP) or other enterprise in the United States must put contract clauses in position to ensure UK data protection and privacy standards remain respected and maintained.

However, the UK government hopes that the new agreement will speed up processes for enterprises, reducing costs and increasing opportunities for UK-based firms.

In 2021, figures show that British businesses exported more than £79 million in data-enabled services to the USA. Westminster believes that the new “data bridge”, officially known as the “UK Extension to the EU-US Data Privacy Framework”, will effectively remove the present administrative burden while keeping the highest standards of data regulation.

UK Secretary of State for science, innovation and technology, Chloe Smith, stated that the data bridge will make transatlantic flow of data easier while also removing “red tape” for businesses.

The bridge is the product of two years’ worth of technical discussions and exchanges between Washington and Westminster, and both sides now hope that should they go forward and achieve the deal, each will stimulate economic growth in their countries and entice more American and British businesses to begin operating and competing on an international level.

The two nations will now carry out further technical work to make their final decision regarding whether the data bridge will be constructed.