None of Your Business: World Data Flows, Electronic Commerce, & the European Privacy Directive

The historic European Union Directive on Data Protection will take effect in October 1998. A key provision will prohibit transfer of personal information from Europe to other countries if they lack "adequate" protection of privacy. If enforced as written, the Directive could create enormous obstacles to commerce between Europe and other countries, such as the United States, that do not have comprehensive privacy statutes.

This book provides the first detailed analysis of the sector-by-sector effects of the Directive. It examines such topics as the tension between privacy laws and modern information technologies, issues affecting a wide range of businesses and other organizations, and effects on other prominent sectors with large transborder data flows. The book concludes with detailed policy recommendations on how to avoid a coming trade war with Europe.