An Executive Order signed by the president regarding Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the U.S. directs government agencies to update their privacy policies to exclude those who aren’t citizens of the U.S. or lawful permanent residents from the protections of the Privacy Act. The European Commission confirmed that the Privacy Shield does not rely on the U.S. Privacy Act of 1974, which is only necessary to protect European Union (EU) residents when their data is sent directly to U.S. law enforcement agencies. The EU has been designated as a “covered country” under the United States’ Judicial Redress Act, which extends Privacy Act protections to EU citizens.
