Implications of 'Schrems' Decision

By Tracy Mitrano. The EU Court of Justice recently issued a landmark ruling in Maximillian Schrems v. Data Protection Commissioner. The decision in this case invalidated the Safe Harbor agreement that allowed the U.S. to handle personally identifiable information (PII) of EU citizens under less robust rules and practices than the EU requires. Now, any entity that holds PII of EU citizens must treat that information according to EU data protection law or face legal action in the EU that would jeopardize assets of US companies in the EU. As was demonstrated almost 20 years ago by the Yahoo v. France case, when faced with the potential loss of assets or reduction in the size of markets, even Internet giants take notice. The implication of this decision does not rest with US industry alone, however.  It affects higher education, and higher education should embrace the Schrems decision with enthusiasm. This decision presents an opportunity to demonstrate the importance of privacy principles and practices for higher education’s missions.  It provides higher education leaders a mantle upon which they can demonstrate how higher education’s missions uphold citizenship and democracy in the United States. Read more...