Page 5 - aruba-today-20220326

A5
WORLD NEWS Saturday 26 March 2022
U.S., E.U. sign data transfer deal to ease privacy concerns

By KELVIN CHAN and CHRIS Companies were forced
MEGERIAN to rely on stock legal con-
BRUSSELS (AP) — The Eu- tracts to continue the trans-
ropean Union and United fers, while some scrambled
States made a break- to localize their data or sus-
through in their yearslong pend transfers.
battle over the privacy of In a joint statement, the U.S.
data that flows across the and EU said the agreement
Atlantic with a preliminary addresses concerns raised
agreement Friday that by the court, with the U.S.
paves the way for Europe- bringing in reforms to beef
ans' personal information to up privacy and civil liber-
be stored in the U.S. ties protections "applicable
President Joe Biden and to signals intelligence ac-
European Commission tivities," referring to the col-
President Ursula von der lection of emails, text mes-
Leyen announced the deal sages and other electronic
during Biden's stop in Brus- communications by intelli-
sels while on a European gence agencies.
tour amid Russia's war in The U.S. will put in place
Ukraine. "new safeguards to ensure
Business groups hailed the signals surveillance activi-
announcement, saying it President Joe Biden listens as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaks about ties are necessary and pro-
will provide relief to thou- the Russian invasion of Ukraine, at the U.S. Mission in Brussels, Friday, March 25, 2022, in Brussels. portionate in the pursuit of
sands of companies, includ- Associated Press defined national security
ing tech giants like Google objectives," the statement
and Facebook, that faced "Today we've agreed to ing privacy and civil liber- by Austrian lawyer and pri- said.
uncertainty over their abil- unprecedented protec- ties." vacy activist Max Schrems, The dispute had raised the
ity to send data between tions for data privacy and The data includes "any in- who was concerned about prospect that Facebook
the U.S. and Europe, which security for our citizens," formation that we volun- how Facebook handled his would have to revamp its
has much stricter regula- Biden said. "This new ar- tarily provide or generate data in light of revelations data centers to ensure Eu-
tions on data privacy. Data rangement will enhance when using services and about U.S. government ropean data is kept out of
may be related to employ- the Privacy Shield frame- products online," said Al- cybersnooping from for- the U.S.
ees or customers and users, work, promote growth and exandre Roure, an official mer U.S. National Security The new agreement "will
and companies use it for all innovation in Europe and with the tech trade group Agency contractor Edward help keep people connect-
types of online advertising, the United States, and help CCIA. That includes names, Snowden. ed and services running,"
purchases and communi- companies — both small ID numbers and geoloca- Along the way, a ruling by Facebook head of global
cations. and large — compete in tion data, online identi- the EU's top court struck affairs Nick Clegg tweeted.
The agreement came hours the digital economy." fiers like IP addresses and down the Privacy Shield "It will provide invaluable
after EU officials agreed on Von der Leyen said the emails, and other informa- agreement covering trans- certainty for American &
sweeping new digital rules agreement "will enable tion that tech companies atlantic data transfers be- European companies of all
to rein in the power of big predictable and trustwor- use to target ads. cause it fell afoul of strin- sizes, including Meta, who
tech companies such as thy data flows between the The deal stems from a com- gent data privacy stan- rely on transferring data
Facebook and Google. EU and the U.S., safeguard- plaint filed a decade ago dards in the 27-nation bloc. quickly and safely."q

Japan OKs bigger budget to host U.S. forces, step up alliance

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Japanese employees work- sary for strengthening the
Associated Press ing on American bases in alliance, rather than for
TOKYO (AP) — Japan's the country through March "kindness" as it used to be
parliament on Friday ap- 2027. considered.
proved a new agreement The upcoming five-year Japan has been expand-
with the United States, en- budget includes a new ing its defense budget and
dorsing Japanese govern- funding category of up capability for about a de-
ment spending exceeding to 20 billion yen ($164 mil- cade and is now revising its
1 trillion yen ($8 billion) for lion) for the purchase of key national security strat-
hosting U.S. troops as the advanced virtual combat egy in the face of threats
two sides strengthen their training systems for joint ex- from China, North Korea
military alliance in the face ercises between the two and now Russia.
of growing threat from Chi- forces. Japan is especially con-
na and North Korea in the The roughly 200 billion yen cerned about Chinese mili-
region. ($1.6 billion) for the first year tary activity in waters in the
The 1.05 trillion yen ($8.6 is included in the fiscal 2022 East China Sea surrounding An MV-22 Osprey takes off as Japan Ground Self-Defense Force
guards the landing zone during a joint military drill with U.S. Ma-
billion) host nation sup- national defense budget the Japanese-controlled rines in Gotemba, southwest of Tokyo, Tuesday, March 15, 2022.
port budget covers the — a record 5.4 trillion yen Senkaku islands, which Bei- Associated Press
purchase of advanced ($44 billion) — beginning in jing also claims and calls
arsenals used in their joint April. Diaoyu. as other partners includ- na's push for its territorial
military exercises, as well as Japan's government now Japan has significantly ex- ing Australia, India, France, claims in the region, which
utilities and facilities used describes the host-nation panded its joint drills with Britain and Germany that has some of the world's
by the U.S. troops and their support budget as neces- the United States as well share concern about Chi- busiest sea lanes.q