European authorities once again question the effectiveness of the U.S.'s data privacy safeguards
In a developing legal saga, the Irish High Court in Dublin is currently hearing a case that questions the adequacy of US privacy protections and surveillance policies in relation to European data protection law. The case, which involves tech giants such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and LinkedIn, is part of an ongoing debate over the protection of Europeans' personal information when moved to the US.
This court case is a continuation of a saga in European courts, initiated when the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) invalidated the EU-US pact known as Safe Harbor in 2015. Since then, tech companies have been using Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) for US-EU data transfers. However, concerns about the adequacy of these clauses persist, with plaintiffs in the current Dublin case alleging that they still fail to sufficiently protect European users' privacy.
The Irish High Court's decision could have significant implications for tech giants if plaintiffs win, making it more difficult for them to handle Europeans' personal information. The case is also a response to concerns about the privacy of EU residents' data when it is transferred and stored overseas.
The European Union is also preparing a law that could impact the privacy of personal data stored overseas. This new law, aimed at EU law enforcement agencies, will allow them to access personal data stored outside the EU. The law is a response to concerns about the privacy of EU residents' data when it is transferred and stored overseas.
The European Commission has initiated the process of adopting an adequacy decision for the EU-US Data Privacy Framework (EU-U.S. DPF), which aims to address the concerns raised by the European Court of Justice when it overturned the European Commission's adequacy decision underlying the EU-US data transfer agreement. The draft legislation is scheduled to be presented to lawmakers and member states at the end of March.
The Irish High Court case also involves a person named Sergei Tokmakov, but no specific details about his role in the case are provided in this paragraph. The court has allowed the US government to join the case, potentially giving the new administration an opportunity to express its position on surveillance laws.
It is worth noting that the Irish High Court issued the first action under the Representative Actions Directive (RAD) involving an alleged breach by a global real-time bidding advertising platform on 29 May 2025, signaling active judicial engagement with data protection litigation in Ireland. Irish courts continue to deal with cases involving corporate surveillance and privacy-related litigation, as noted in the ongoing High Court case involving allegations of surveillance, harassment, and intimidation by a US HR company and its solicitors.
As of early August 2025, there are no direct or recent search results specifically addressing the current status of the Irish High Court case concerning US privacy protections and surveillance policies relative to European data protection. If such a case is underway, it has not been prominently reported or summarized in publicly available sources as of late July 2025. However, this developing area with ongoing litigation related to data privacy and surveillance between US entities and European data protection law is being closely watched.
Technology plays a pivotal role in the ongoing Irish High Court case, given that tech giants such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and LinkedIn are involved. Moreover, the outcome of this case could significantly impact the education-and-self-development aspect of users in Europe, as it pertains to their data privacy and protection.
