US Supreme Court Just Blew Up EU-US Data Transfers • Hacker News Board

Re: US Supreme Court Just Blew Up EU-US Data Transfers

#101

Post by soco » Tue, Jun 30, 2026, 9:03 AM UTC

tempfile wrote: post #87

shevy-java wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is even worse. For instance, in a medical university, we recently were told we need a smartphone and install an app from Google store (!!!), in order to read emails sent out by officials at the medical university. I protested to that but they had a deal already with the private company and their signature meant they had to keep on being addicted to that private company, so now I am locked out of receiving emails…

I don't know where you are, and I'm not an expert, but a job requiring specific technology typically means it is your employer's responsibility to provide that technology. So if they signed a contract that mandates you have a smartphone, you can use your own if you like, but I think they are legally required to provide you with one if you choose not to buy one. In fact in most cases, I think they should prefer that (…

"après moi le déluge" - said every public sector purchase decision maker ever.

Re: US Supreme Court Just Blew Up EU-US Data Transfers

#102

Post by BlueTemplar » Tue, Jun 30, 2026, 9:03 AM UTC

rusk wrote: post #55

bambax wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The EU should cut all ties with the US, tax US products and impose costly (and difficult to get) visas to American citizens wanting to visit. It won't do any of this because it has no balls and no vision. We're doomed and it's our fault.

> no balls and no vision Seems to me they’re waiting it out. Everything could change in a presidential election and the European economy wins either way. It is an economic bloc after all. What you describe would be what’s called “cutting off your nose to spite your face”

For the worst, you mean ?

The current arrangement has been torpedoed a long time ago already, with the Patriot Act (2001) (though it took many years to understand the extent of it).

Re: US Supreme Court Just Blew Up EU-US Data Transfers

#103

Post by rdsubhas » Tue, Jun 30, 2026, 9:04 AM UTC

manueltgomes wrote: post #49

Switching to EU companies is often the solution, but also we're in a tricky position in Europe since alternatives exist but can't compete with US. So finding European alternatives is possible but hard. Also EU is doing its job enforcing privacy and anti-competition laws but then American companies just say "feature not available in EU" (like Apple is doing more and more for example), making things even harder to swit…

Yeah the problem with EU is that once "compliance" becomes the only reason, lethargy kicks in. Their players stop competing because they have no incentive to, the compliance will keep them afloat.

I would assume the same here. If they are forced to move to EU just because of compliance, the alternatives would remain poor quality.

Re: US Supreme Court Just Blew Up EU-US Data Transfers

#104

Post by dgellow » Tue, Jun 30, 2026, 9:05 AM UTC

nickslaughter02 wrote: post #54

atoav wrote: post #3

As a European citizen I do not trust entities located in the US to not abuse my private data ever since the patriot act. If it was me that deal would have never came to be. If some EU entity decides to use Microsoft 365 can Microsoft guarantee that it won't give access to one US government agency or another? It really can't. Because if that EU entity wants to act in accordance with EU law, this matters. This is what…

> As a European citizen I do not trust entities located in the US to not abuse my private data ever since the patriot act. EU is working on mandating scans of all your private encrypted messages right now. EU data protection is marketing for the gullible. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48707719

The EU isn’t a single entity, it’s a whole ecosystem of actors pushing their own agenda. The parliament, which represents the people, has been very clearly opposed to chat control

Re: US Supreme Court Just Blew Up EU-US Data Transfers

#105

Post by shmeeed » Tue, Jun 30, 2026, 9:05 AM UTC

armchairhacker wrote: post #64

seydor wrote: post #34

The EU keeps trying to manifest the missing european data infrastructure via data regulation instead of outright bans and limits on american companies, the way China did it.

Outright bans would destroy European companies that rely on American companies. First they need to build their own infrastructure (which China has done).

Legislation for a ban will take years anyway, and will have sunrise/sundown provisions. This will provide ample time to build the infrastructure. But infra won't happen without mandating the transition, since market incentives will always pull against it.

The time to start this process is now.

Re: US Supreme Court Just Blew Up EU-US Data Transfers

#106

Post by BlueTemplar » Tue, Jun 30, 2026, 9:06 AM UTC

armchairhacker wrote: post #64

seydor wrote: post #34

The EU keeps trying to manifest the missing european data infrastructure via data regulation instead of outright bans and limits on american companies, the way China did it.

Outright bans would destroy European companies that rely on American companies. First they need to build their own infrastructure (which China has done).

What kind of 'infrastructure' did China have when they had "fallen out" with Google (in 2010?), that the EU does not have now ?

Re: US Supreme Court Just Blew Up EU-US Data Transfers

#107

Post by khalic » Tue, Jun 30, 2026, 9:07 AM UTC

rdsubhas wrote: post #103

manueltgomes wrote: post #49

Switching to EU companies is often the solution, but also we're in a tricky position in Europe since alternatives exist but can't compete with US. So finding European alternatives is possible but hard. Also EU is doing its job enforcing privacy and anti-competition laws but then American companies just say "feature not available in EU" (like Apple is doing more and more for example), making things even harder to swit…

Yeah the problem with EU is that once "compliance" becomes the only reason, lethargy kicks in. Their players stop competing because they have no incentive to, the compliance will keep them afloat. I would assume the same here. If they are forced to move to EU just because of compliance, the alternatives would remain poor quality.

This is simplistic to the point of meaninglessness

Re: US Supreme Court Just Blew Up EU-US Data Transfers

#108

Post by shmeeed » Tue, Jun 30, 2026, 9:07 AM UTC

hgtt664868 wrote: post #43

jimbob45 wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ban, limits, and regulation won’t solve a country with too many worker protections. The EU simply can’t compete in the modern globalized world.

slashing worker protections would do what exactly?

You pick it. From what I keep hearing, it's a cure-all. /s

Re: US Supreme Court Just Blew Up EU-US Data Transfers

#109

Post by watwut » Tue, Jun 30, 2026, 9:07 AM UTC

rusk wrote: post #89

watwut wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Everything could change in a presidential election A lot can change, but not everything. Trump won twice and republican elites are fully behind him. Even if he looses, the same ideologies will continue. It happened twice, it is not a fluke but a permanent property of American politics. Moreover, constitutional changes supreme court created are structural change. They will be super hard to undone - first they would…

I agree with everything you have written here, however even in the face of that it makes “economic” sense for the EU to wait it out.

If it means "be strategic and start making necessary long term adjustements without entering useless temporary pissing contests" I agree.

If it means "wait and change nothing long term, hope it will be better" I dont.

Re: US Supreme Court Just Blew Up EU-US Data Transfers

#110

Post by sublimefire » Tue, Jun 30, 2026, 9:07 AM UTC

atoav wrote: post #3

As a European citizen I do not trust entities located in the US to not abuse my private data ever since the patriot act. If it was me that deal would have never came to be. If some EU entity decides to use Microsoft 365 can Microsoft guarantee that it won't give access to one US government agency or another? It really can't. Because if that EU entity wants to act in accordance with EU law, this matters. This is what…

I do not trust either but you have to at least agree that having some sort of mutually recognised data privacy framework is a good idea because the courts can enforce it then. Saying everything must be from EU is also slightly silly and we should instead have something similar like certification (cyber act ?) to ensure enough competition exists to avoid service degradation. IMO cryptography could be the answer to many privacy related issues for the cross border transfers.

Also these decisions related where the data is stored and which service is used are under control of each commercial org buying them. The risks are assessed at the end of the day and in case of any issues the providers change. Why would a publicly funded org store citizen data in the US is a question regardless of privacy laws though.