Regulation of International Data Transfers in Clouds: the Impact of the GDPR

This chapter studies the regulation of international data transfers in clouds. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) stipulates that any transfer of personal data from the European Union (EU) (as well as other European Economic Area (EEA) countries) to a third country or an international organisation is subject to restrictions to ensure that the level of protection provided by the GDPR is not undermined. The GDPR requires either adequate protection or appropriate safeguards for transfers of personal data to third countries. When assessing a data transfer to a third country, a number of factors must be considered. First, it is necessary to establish whether the processing of personal data falls within the scope of the GDPR. Second, the GDPR may apply either to the cloud provider or its customer, or to both. Third, it is necessary to establish when a 'transfer' of personal data from an EU Member State to a third country is taking place and how the protection of the data can be ensured. Fourth, in some circumstances, there may be an exception to the requirement to ensure continued protection following a data transfer.