Data Foundry, Inc. has announced that they have joined the Safe Harbor, established as an option under the 1998 European Commission’s Directive on Data Protection. The decision for Data Foundry to join the Safe Harbor comes as a result of their ongoing commitment to privacy and their desire to ensure smooth interaction for and with their customers in the United States and Europe.
The Safe Harbor framework was approved by the European Union in 2000 as a way for US companies to verify that their privacy policies meet the standards established by the European Commission. The European Union’s approach to privacy protection is different from that of the United States. It is these differences which can result in complications for US business dealings with the EU. Under Safe Harbor, US companies are certified by the EU as providing acceptable privacy protection as defined by the European Commission.
“Though Data Foundry as a company does not regularly receive any personal information from the EU directly, we do provide services for companies who have important interactions with the European Union on a regular basis. Our participation in Safe Harbor is a way of affirming our strong commitment to privacy and is an effort by Data Foundry to support our customer’s critical business operations beyond the services we provide to them,” states Mark Noonan, VP of Sales for Data Foundry.
Organizations seeking Safe Harbor benefits must annually self certify that they agree to adhere to the Safe Harbor requirements, including “elements such as notice, choice, access, and enforcement.” The Department of Commerce maintains a public list of Safe Harbor organizations and the Federal Trade Commission is responsible for enforcing compliance amongst organizations who have certified their adherence to Safe Harbor requirements. In addition to this self certification process, Data Foundry is further verified through SAS 70 certification auditing. SAS 70 certification affirms that Data Foundry’s various controls and policies, including the privacy policies relevant to Safe Harbor, are strictly followed.
To learn more about Safe Harbor, visit the Safe Harbor Overview available on the export.gov website.
