Reply to post: Franchises

EU desperately pushes just-as-dodgy safe harbour alternatives

Phil Endecott

Franchises

What happens in the Microsoft Ireland case is the next thing to watch.

If that goes the wrong way, i.e. if the court says that Microsoft US is obliged to exfiltrate data held by MS Ireland, then these multinational US-headquartered companies will have to decouple themselves further. I see one option as a form of franchising, where e.g. Facebook EU is an entirely separate company from Facebook US, with its own shareholders, but it pays a license fee to Facebook US for the use of its brand and technology.

Ultimately, though, the spies will continue to spy. As I read them, the Snowden revelations were suggesting that at least much of the interception was without the consent of the companies concerned. It is probably legally easier for the NSA to hack an EU company's infrastructure in the EU than it is for them to do that in the US. So this judgement may end up not increasing practical privacy at all.

POST COMMENT House rules

Not a member of The Register? Create a new account here.

  • Enter your comment

  • Add an icon

Anonymous cowards cannot choose their icon