Are the privacy and other rights of European internet users at risk when US companies transfer their data to the United States? Undeniably yes – unless the US overhauls its sweeping surveillance laws. Recent developments regarding the right to privacy under President Donald Trump only heighten these concerns.  Yesterday, Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union sent a letter urging the European Commission to reconsider the Privacy Shield, a key data transfer deal, in light of these changes. Under European Union law, US companies can’t transfer EU residents’ personal data, like personnel files or social media posts, to the US unless companies show it will be protected in ways “essentially equivalent” to that in Europe. In a 2015 case against Facebook brought by activist Max Schrems, the EU’s top court invalidated an agreement allowing such transfers, citing concerns US intelligence agencies could access European data indiscriminately, without meaningful redress if agencies violated rights...