US may extend some privacy rights to Europeans

The US Department of Justice has said it may extend certain privacy rights to European citizens to help them enjoy the same sort of data protections abroad as they do at home.

Attorney General Eric Holder said that the US intended to “take legislative action in order to provide for judicial redress for Europeans who do not live in the US,” according to a welcoming statement by EU justice chief Viviane Reding. As Reding said, this could remove a major stumbling block in data protection negotiations between the US and the European Union.