Magazine : Archives : 4th Quarter 2010

Foreign Privacy Laws and the Cross Border Transfer of Information

The cross-border transfer of information has become almost unavoidable in today’s world of increasing economic globalization. Routine transfers by U.S. financial institutions of data originating from outside the United States, however, carry with them potential legal consequences under the myriad privacy laws that limit the transfer of individuals’ personal data to the United States. Financial institutions, accordingly, need to be increasingly vigilant of the privacy laws of the countries with which they do business, and carefully monitor their compliance with those laws. The transfer of information between financial institutions concerning employees, clients, customers or other individuals occurs every day with...