February 5 , 2015

Dentons advises First Data on approval for data processors

London, UK--Dentons has advised First Data Corporation, a global leader in payment technology and service solutions, in successfully obtaining approval for its Binding Corporate Rules for Data Processors regarding data privacy from European Data Protection regulators. This achievement is the first of its kind in the UK, with First Data becoming the first payments technology company to obtain such authorization under the leadership of the UK's Information Commissioner's Office, which led the application.

First Data is one of only five companies worldwide that has completed this rigorous process for both Data Processor and Data Controller BCRs, an achievement affirming the highest standards of global data privacy practices. BCRs are a company-wide privacy policy to guarantee that a company's practices are consistent with European data protection law. They are widely considered the platinum standard for compliance with the European Data Protection Directive.

This is the second BCR project on which Dentons has supported First Data. In November 2011, the ICO authorised the company's Data Controller BCRs, enabling First Data to transfer personal data, for which it is a Data Controller, from the EEA to its affiliates elsewhere in the world. This is prohibited under the European Data Protection Directive unless adequate safeguards such as BCRs are in place. With this recent approval First Data can freely transfer personal data both as a Data Controller and Data Processor between its group entities on a worldwide basis. 

The Data Processor authorisation highlights the culmination of a two-year project by First Data, which was led by First Data's John Atkins, Chief Privacy Officer, and David Tomlinson, Senior Counsel.

John Atkins, said, "This authorisation will enable First Data to better serve its customers by seamlessly processing their data to the highest standards of privacy in its state of the art global processing centres. We have worked in partnership with the Dentons' Privacy team for many years now on our BCRs and we appreciate their unwavering support and commitment to enable us to reach this landmark achievement."

Head of Technology Media and Telecoms at Dentons, Partner Scott Singer, commented, "We are delighted for First Data that its practices in data privacy have been fully recognised by European regulators. It now joins an elite group of just four other companies worldwide with dual processor and controller BCR approval. Our team has been excited to work with First Data and the ICO on the ICO's first processor BCR application."

The Dentons team was led by Head of TMT, Scott Singer, who worked with Tristan Jonckheer, Nicola Harding and Anna Doherty in the Firm's dedicated UK Data Privacy Group. The 12-strong team is one of the largest data privacy groups in the UK.