In a landmark ruling on 6^th October 2015 the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that the ‘Safe Harbour’ agreement was invalid. This is due to concerns about American intelligence agencies access to European citizens’ data.

So What Was the Safe Harbour Agreement?

The EU forbids personal data from being transferred to and processed in parts of the world that do not provide “adequate” privacy protections. So, to make it easier for US firms, Safe Harbour was introduced to let them self-certify that they are carrying out the required steps.

Safe Harbour was an agreement struck in 2000 between the EU and the US. It was designed to provide a “streamlined and cost-effective” way for US firms (including the likes of Facebook, Twitter and MailChimp) to obtain data from Europe without breaking its rules.

The safe harbour agreement that was made between the EC and the US government essentially promised to protect EU citizens’ data if transferred by American companies to the US.

So What Does This All Mean for Uk Based Email Marketers?

If you are a Campaignmaster user you are covered and very importantly have been and will continue to be compliant with the EU laws. From day one our servers have been based in the UK, in a secure data centre. Our user’s data never leaves the UK and that’s the reason many professional firms adhering to best practise email marketing in the UK choose to work with us.

If you are using a US based email marketing platform then your data is most likely stored in the USA which is now in effect compromising the new ruling. Do your clients know that you are sending their personal data to the States?

We can set up new client accounts very quickly.  So please get in touch for a free, personalised tour around Campaignmaster and see for yourself why professional marketers chose to work with a UK based email marketing company that provides a great e-marketing tool, with fantastic support service and in your business hours too.