Browsing by Subject "Technology Law"

This thesis examines the principle of the Brussels Effect and its impact on privacy law and regulation between the EU and the US. The thesis explains how the Brussels Effect is the premise that the rules and regulations originating from Brussels have penetrated many aspects of economic life both inside and outside the EU through the process of “unilateral regulatory globalization”. It is argued that the US simply cannot afford to bypass the large internal market of the EU, and this gives US companies and regulators the incentive to conform with these EU standards. Furthermore, when it comes to global data transfers the EU primarily regulates an “inelastic” consumer market, which cannot simply be avoided or diverted to another jurisdiction due to the GDPR’s extraterritorial scope. Although a Brussels Effect clearly exists, this does not mean that it always results in compliance and the protection of data subject rights in daily practice. This proposition is supported by analysing a data subject complaint filed against Airbnb and by considering Article 22 of the GDPR, including the regulation of automatic decision making and profiling technologies. Ultimately, Schrems II and its finding which were reflected in the Trans-Atlantic Privacy Framework, are analysed to support the argument that the Brussels Effect is still operating strongly but its real impact can only be assessed after the Trans-Atlantic Privacy Framework has been implemented and operating in practice for a sufficient period.