The ICO welcomed the Government’s announcement that the Treaty agreed with the EU will allow personal data to flow freely from the EU (and EEA) to the UK, until adequacy decisions have been adopted, for no more than six months (see item below). The ICO said that the agreement will enable businesses and public bodies across all sectors to continue to freely receive data from the EU (and EEA), including law enforcement agencies.

As a sensible precaution, the ICO recommends that businesses work with EU and EEA organisations who transfer personal data to them to put in place alternative transfer mechanisms to safeguard against any interruption to the free flow of EU to UK personal data.

As previously announced, the UK has, on a transitional basis, deemed the EU and EEA EFTA States to be adequate to allow for data flows from the UK. To read the ICO’s statement in full, click here.