WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, hailed Judiciary Committee passage of the bipartisan Judicial Redress Act of 2015, a bill he introduced with U.S. Senate with U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) to extend the core benefits of the Privacy Act of 1974 to citizens of major U.S. allies for information shared for law enforcement purposes – similar to the benefits already afforded to U.S. citizens overseas. Last year, U.S. and European Union negotiators agreed  upon a data sharing “Umbrella Agreement” that was contingent upon passage of the Judicial Redress Act.  The Judicial Redress Act would extend some of the core benefits enjoyed by Americans under the Privacy Act of 1974 to European allies and provide a clear signal that we value the transatlantic relationship and seek to fully rebuild trust in U.S.-EU data flows. The European Court of Justice ruled last year to strike down the “Safe Harbor” agreement between the United States and the European Union due to the lack of privacy protections for E.U. citizens. 

The U.S. and E.U are quickly approaching a January 31 deadline to renew the Safe Harbor agreement.

“By passing the Judicial Redress Act, the Judiciary Committee today took a major step toward strengthening America’s security and restoring our relationships with European partners,” said Murphy. “After months of delay, the Senate must immediately pass this crucial bill. Failure to enact this bill into law would devastate U.S.-E.U. data sharing protocols, put our national security at risk and present a major setback for U.S. technology companies who do business around the world.”

The Judicial Redress Act extends core benefits of the Privacy Act to select U.S. allies with regard to information shared with the U.S. for law enforcement purposes, including judicial redress for denials of access to and correction of records and remedies for intentional or willful disclosure of information. Under current law, only U.S. citizens can seek redress in U.S. courts when their privacy rights are violated. In contrast, many European allies already provide that right to U.S. citizens in their courts of law. This legislation simply establishes reciprocity with our closest friends, and ensures that they continue to share information crucial to our law enforcement cooperation. This bill will enhance transatlantic relations and promote a mutually beneficial environment for U.S. and European businesses.   

The Judicial Redress Act was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Congressmen Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) and John Conyers (D-Mich.) and is supported by The White House, U.S. Department of Justice, and U.S. federal law enforcement agencies. The legislation has been endorsed by numerous organizations and associations, including The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Application Developers Alliance, BSA, The Software Alliance Computer & Communications Industry Association, Information Technology Industry Council, Internet Association, Software & Information Industry Association, the Trans-Atlantic Business Council, IBM, Facebook, Foursquare, Google, Intuit, Microsoft, and Yahoo.