US and Europe struggle to agree on data sharing

How tech companies share your data overseas is a thorny issue, and it doesn't appear to be getting any easier. The US and European Union failed to reach a deal over data sharing before an end-of-January deadline, leaving important questions of privacy and legal responsibility up in the air. According to the New York Times, the two sides aren't even close. The EU wants promises that data is protected against bulk US spying, for instance, but it's not thrilled by a proposed US State Department "data ombudsman" who'd help Europeans concerned about American misuse of their info.

There's still the chance of a deal before Europe takes matters into its own hands on February 3rd. However, it may be watered down -- NYT sources hear the focus is on a "broad" agreement. Whether or not things come together, you won't have many guarantees about your internet data for quite a while.