In a move that spotlights the accelerating importance of data protection and privacy worldwide, Ireland’s High Court will ask the EU’s Court of Justice for a ruling on whether business enterprises operating via the Internet, such as social media giant Facebook, will be allowed to transfer users’ data to the United States.
Needless to say, a ban on data transfers would have huge consequences not only for social media, but for all US enterprises that process data on EU residents, whether for online purchases, accommodation bookings or moving employee data between countries. Just think of all the US websites that are used heavily by Europeans every day: Amazon, Google, HomeExchange, Airbnb, Whatsapp and Booking.com.