On Oct. 6, the European Court of Justice struck down a United States-European Union agreement that allowed companies to move personal electronic data between the EU and the U.S.
In Maximillian Schrems v. Data Protection Commissioner, the ECJ deemed invalid a decision approving the so-called "safe harbor program" and said EU data protection authorities can investigate complaints about the transfer of personal data outside Europe. In addition, EU data protection authorities can suspend such data transfers until investigations are completed.