United States Deeply Concerned About EU’s New Privacy Guidelines: Commerce Secretary

U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, a member of the U.S. trade delegation to China, returns to a hotel in Beijing, China May 3, 2018. Even if he manages to get the Chinese to reduce the trade deficit, the consequences for the dollar would be huge. (Reuters/Jason Lee)

LONDON—The United States is deeply concerned that the new European Union privacy guidelines will change how companies do business, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said, adding that the regulation should be implemented in a way to minimize barriers to trade.

New European privacy regulations went into effect last Friday that will force companies to be more attentive to how they handle customer data.

“We in the US are deeply concerned about the way the EU’s new privacy guidelines, which came into effect last week, will force big changes in the way US and European companies do business,” Ross wrote in the Financial Times.

“We must find a way to implement GDPR without creating undue barriers... EU authorities must provide clearer rules and a more predictable regulatory environment to support investment and innovation.”