A bipartisan bill introduced this week to provide the same data rights to Europeans that Americans have under the Privacy Act of 1974 has received acclaim on both sides of the political aisle, Politico reports. “The judicial redress issue is the last major sticking point in four-year negotiations over the creation of an ‘umbrella agreement’ for the protection of personal data transferred between law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and EU,” the report states. It would also address a major point of contention in the Safe Harbor negotiations. “Without this legislation, the umbrella agreement won’t be accepted,” said German MEP Jan Philipp Albrecht. “It’s parity we’re looking for,” said UK MEP Claude Moraes. “For this step to happen, and to have equivalence, is a very significant move.” Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI) was equally pleased and “optimistic that it will be brought to a vote.”
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