Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP) Practice Questions 2025 – All-in-One Guide to Exam Success!

The decision that declared the EU/US Privacy Shield invalid is known as Schrems II. This landmark ruling was made by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) on July 16, 2020. The case arose from concerns regarding the adequacy of the protection provided by US laws for personal data transferred from the EU. Schrems II followed the precedent set by an earlier case, Schrems I, which had already invalidated the Safe Harbor agreement.

In Schrems II, the CJEU determined that the Privacy Shield lacked sufficient safeguards against US government surveillance and failed to provide EU citizens with adequate legal remedies. Consequently, the ruling emphasized the importance of ensuring that personal data is afforded the same level of protection when transferred outside of the EU as it would have within its jurisdictions. This decision significantly impacted transatlantic data transfers, necessitating new mechanisms for compliance with data protection standards in light of stringent privacy requirements in the EU.