Although several companies say they have self-certified under the Privacy Shield framework, the U.S. Department of Commerce did not immediately list their compliance. The U.S. Department of Commerce is not just rubber-stamping applications to join the new Privacy Shield data protection program: 24 hours after companies began certifying their compliance, the administration’s website still listed no approvals. Microsoft was among the first businesses to certify that it complied with the new rules for transferring European Union citizens’ personal information to the U.S. when the Commerce Department’s International Trade Administration began accepting applications. The company isn’t waiting for official approval to begin applying the new rules, he said. “Going forward, any data which we will transfer from Europe to the U.S. will be protected by the Privacy Shield’s safeguards.”
