"Many of the most important developments have had a Eurocentric flavor to them. For instance, the European Court of Justice in October 2015 struck down the European Commission's Safe Harbour Decision that had declared the data exchange framework established between the U.S. and Europe as secure. Albert Gidari, Director of Privacy at Stanford University Law School's Center for Internet and Society, called the decision a “watershed moment” because it “largely invalidated Safe Harbor data transfers to the U.S. and called into question all other bases for data transfer to the U.S. as well.”
The European Union also reached agreement on its landmark General Data Protection Regulation, which gives citizens increased control over their personal data and sets continent-wide standards for the export of personal data outside of Europe. Omer Tene, Vice President of Research and Education at the International Association of Privacy Professionals, called the regulation a “once-in-a-generation legal reform which will shape the web's next decade.
“The Paris nightclub massacre unleashed a wave of security measures that, as we know in the U.S. post-9/11, will take a long time to roll back,” said Gidari.
Data breach fears also grew, added Tene, due to the “increased rollout of the Internet of Things (IoT), with smart cities, smart cars, smart toys and a whole variety of devices talking to each other and silently documenting our digital trail.”
Gidari seemed to agree, adding, “The privacy impacts of new technology have been experienced by each and every generation. The telephone, camera and hearing aids all raised red privacy flags in their time. But as technology gets adopted, laws catch up to address perceived privacy inadequacies, usually just in time to meet the next innovation.”"