The Schrems rulings, named after Austrian activist Maximilian Schrems who filed a complaint against hi-tech giant Facebook in 2013, are two measures adopted by the Court of Justice of the European Union in relation to the overseas transfer of European citizens' personal data.The first 2015 ruling determines the invalidation of the Safe Harbor international agreement in force since 2000 between Europe and the United States of America. The second ruling in 2020 has a similar outcome with the invalidation of the new international Privacy Shield agreement signed in 2016.The two Schrems rulings, in addition to their obvious impact on the transfer of personal data overseas, also have political significance and should become an occasion for reflection: the rapid pace of technological evolution and globalization have demonstrated the importance of ensuring the European Union's technological and digital sovereignty; the storage and processing of data within European borders can become a lever for choosing European providers over U.S. operators for whom the necessary requirements would make overseas transfer disadvantageous.
