Field Fisher Waterhouse teams up with Government of Bermuda to introduce EU data protection initiative
22 October 2009
Field Fisher Waterhouse has teamed up with the Bermuda Chamber
of Commerce’s Business Technology Division and the Government of
Bermuda's Ministry of Energy, Telecommunications and E-Commerce to
pioneer a new approach to international data transfers to service
providers.
European companies normally need to enter into complex
agreements with their overseas service providers to overcome the
prohibition under EU data protection law on transfers of personal
data to non-EU countries. Field Fisher Waterhouse's Privacy and
Information Law Group has developed an alternative aimed at
replacing these cumbersome agreements with a set of internal data
protection rules. These are called Binding Safe Processor Rules
(BSPR) and are applicable to clients' data processed by service
providers.
The new approach will be unveiled at the Global Public Policy
Summit hosted in Bermuda from 1st to 3rd of November and is
targeted at global outsourcing companies. They will adopt and
implement their own BSPR in accordance with European data
protection standards. Service providers will then seek ‘safe
processor’ status from the EU data protection authorities,
irrespective of their geographic location. BSPR are ideally suited
to the dynamic nature of today's data flows and cloud computing
services.
This development is part of the Bermuda's commitment to
international business and the use of Bermuda as a safe, well
regulated jurisdiction for the handling of data.
Eduardo Ustaran, head of Field Fisher
Waterhouse's Privacy and Information Law
Group said: "BSPR are the way forward for responsible service
providers. They reduce the amount of contractual work whilst
enabling their clients to comply with a very difficult aspect of
data protection law".
For further press information, please
contact:
Louise Eckersley, PR
Manager, on +44 (0)20 7861 4120.