Privacy Shield was a data protection agreement between the EU and the USA that formed the legal basis for the transfer of personal data from the EU to the USA until July 2020.
It should ensure that US companies comply with a level of data protection comparable to the GDPR. The European Court of Justice has recognised the agreement in the so-called "Schrems II" judgement However, the decision was declared invalid on the grounds that the protection in the USA was not sufficient, particularly against access by US authorities.
Since then, the transfer of personal data to the USA has been prohibited. only under certain conditions permissible - e.g. via standard contractual clauses or (since July 2023) the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Frameworkwhich replaces the Privacy Shield.
Relevance for Tracking and Website AnalyticsMany tools such as Google Analytics or Meta rely on US infrastructures. Anyone using such services should be aware of the applicable data transfer regulations.
