International data transfer compliance

Globalisation of business requires the free flow of personal data across borders. However, data localisation/sovereignty features of various data protection laws present compliance challenges associated with international transfer of data.

In the EU and UK in particular companies face:

• the requirement to conduct a data transfer risk assessment reviewing the law and practise in importing countries and determining the supplementary security measures required to match EU/UK standards of data protection; and
• having to use the new EU standard contractual clauses (SCCs) for new transfers from September 2021 and replace the old EU standard contractual clauses with the new SCCs before December 2022 and, in due course, the UK SCCs.

In order to help plan a compliance programme in relation to international data transfers we have set out a suggested project plan.

See our Insight for more information.