International transfers of personal data for health research following Schrems II: a problem in need of a solution

• Published in: European journal of human genetics : EJHG Vol. 29; no. 10; pp. 1502 - 1509
• Main Authors: Hallinan, Dara, Bernier, Alexander, Cambon-Thomsen, Anne, Crawley, Francis P, Dimitrova, Diana, Medeiros, Claudia Bauzer, Nilsonne, Gustav, Parker, Simon, Pickering, Brian, Rennes, Stéphanie
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Nature Publishing Group 01-10-2021; Springer International Publishing
• Subjects: Computer Science; Computers and Society; COVID-19; COVID-19 - epidemiology; COVID-19 - virology; European Union; Folkhälsovetenskap, global hälsa, socialmedicin och epidemiologi; Health Care Service and Management, Health Policy and Services and Health Economy; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Hälso- och sjukvårdsorganisation, hälsopolitik och hälsoekonomi; Information Dissemination - legislation & jurisprudence; Juridik; Law; Medical research; Medicin och hälsovetenskap; Pandemics; Personal information; Privacy - legislation & jurisprudence; Public Health, Global Health, Social Medicine and Epidemiology; Research - legislation & jurisprudence; SARS-CoV-2 - physiology; Social Media - legislation & jurisprudence; United States; United States
• ISSN: 1018-4813; 1476-5438; 1476-5438
• DOI: 10.1038/s41431-021-00893-y

On 16 July 2020, the Court of Justice of the European Union issued their decision in the Schrems II case concerning Facebook's transfers of personal data from the EU to the US. The decision may have significant effects on the legitimate transfer of personal data for health research purposes from the EU. This article aims: (i) to outline the consequences of the Schrems II decision for the sharing of personal data for health research between the EU and third countries, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic; and, (ii) to consider certain options available to address the consequences of the decision and to facilitate international data exchange for health research moving forward.