U.S. responds to E.U. comments on data protection

The U.S. ambassador to the European Union, William Kennard, responded to an E.U. official's comments that the United States did not seem ready to move forward on a data protection agreement with the E.U.

According to an article from Information Age, Kennard told reporters in Brussels on Monday that he disagrees with European commissioner for justice and fundamental rights Viviane Reding's criticism that while the U.S. is interested in negotiating individual data sharing agreements with the E.U., it's dragging its heels on data protection.

The ambassador and former FCC chairman rejected that idea, telling reporters, “I disagree -- we're moving ahead.”

Reding, who met with Attorney General Eric Holder and Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano to talk about data protection Dec. 9, was disappointed by the meeting. She was particularly pointed in her criticism that the U.S. ">had not yet appointed a negotiator, according to the European Voice.

Kennard told reporters that the administration would like some more information on what the E.U. wants from a data agreement before choosing someone to lead the talks.