The European Commission (EC) has ruled that the UK’s data protection laws are secure enough to allow personal data to continue flowing freely between the UK and the EU for at least another four years. Another Brexit myth busted, then…

Despite repeated scaremongering from the Twitterati that the EC wouldn’t give approval (and therefore businesses and trade would go into meltdown), the announcement that the UK has retained its ‘adequate’ security status means life will, as most sane people predicted, go on as usual. Although the European Parliament still insisted there be a four-year sunset clause in the decision, which means it’ll have to be re-reviewed at that point…

The EC’s vice-president for Values and Transprency, Věra Jourová, said:

“The UK has left the EU but today its legal regime of protecting personal data is as it was… Because of this, we are adopting these adequacy decisions today.”

Digital Secretary Oliver Dowden added:

“After more than a year of constructive talks, it is right the European Union has formally recognised the UK’s high data protection standards.”

Why did anyone think in a sane world it would be any different?