Westward Ho! Investigations by US-authorities and the transfer of personal data from Germany to the U. S. A.

• Dr. Constantin Rehaag
• Valeria Hoffmann

In April 2014 the U. S. District Court for the Southern District of New York ruled that the Microsoft Corporation had to release personal data of users upon service of a valid search warrant from US law enforcement agencies – personal data from the European Union (EU) included. The court’s nonchalance regarding foreign data protection legislation raises once more the question whether and how personal data may be transferred from the EU – in particular Germany – to the United States of America (US), a country that is deemed not to have an adequate level of data protection.