Europe and the US move towards data agreement

EC and US government officials took a major step forward yesterday in their efforts to find common ground on data protection.

A US official announced the two sides had agreed to set up an independent body to regulate disputes between international trading partners.

Setting up an independent body was one of the requirements of the EC directive, which officially came into effect last month. Ella Krucoff, spokeswoman for the EC in Washington, told Silicon.com: "This is not a compromise - it means the US is coming our way."

Jon Mogg, EC director for the single market and David Aaron, under-secretary for international trade at the US Department of Commerce, have been talking for months about how the new data protection directive can be implemented in the US.

Traditionally, when it comes to personal data the US favours voluntary self-regulation over laws. But the new law strengthens the rights of Europeans over their data and restricts its export to countries that do not offer similar protection.

The two parties also agreed yesterday to extend the deadline for their talks from the end of the year to the end of January. The EC's Krucoff stressed that there was still a long way to go. "Our main concern now is the individual's right to access their own data," she said. "We're looking for action by the US government and industry which will conform to the directive in some meaningful way."