A new study comparing European and US corporate privacy practices reveals that while European companies impose tighter restrictions on the sharing of sensitive personal data, US companies currently have more sophisticated systems in place to prevent breaches. The study, sponsored by global law firm White & Case as part of its annual Global Privacy Symposium, held Thursday, April 27 in New York, was conducted by the independent privacy think tank Ponemon Institute. The survey questions were reviewed by two European data protection authorities, The Information Commissioner’s Office of the UK and The Commission Nationale de l’Informatique et des Libertes (CNIL) in France. “European companies are much more likely to have privacy practices that restrict or limit the sharing of customer or employees’ sensitive personal information and are also more likely to provide employees with choice or consent on how information is used or shared,” said David Bender, head of White & Case’s Global Privacy practice. “But the research also revealed that US companies are engaging in more security and control-oriented compliance activities than their European counterparts. Bender adds that ongoing concern about compliance with government rules is the lead driver for both US and European companies’ privacy practices. But 50 percent of European and 24 percent of US privacy leaders now believe that strong privacy policies also are an important part of protecting or enhancing their company’s brand or image in the marketplace.