出海歐洲 | GDPR數據跨境傳輸：歐盟用戶數據如何合法回傳中國？

隨著全球經濟一體化和數字化的深入發展，越來越多的中國企業將業務拓展至歐盟市場。在此過程中，如何合法、安全地將歐盟用戶的個人數據傳輸回中國，成為這些企業面臨的一項重要合規挑戰。歐盟《通用數據保護條例》（GDPR）對個人數據的跨境傳輸設置了嚴格的規定，旨在確保無論數據傳輸到何處，其保護水平都與歐盟境內保持一致。本文將深入探討GDPR下的數據跨境傳輸機制，並結合實際案例，為中國出海歐盟的企業提供合規指南。

如果歐盟委員會認定某個非EEA國家或國際組織的數據保護水平與EEA內部基本等同，便會通過“充分性決定”。一旦獲得充分性決定，數據可以自由地傳輸到該國家或組織，無需額外的保障措施。目前，歐盟委員會已對安道爾、阿根廷、加拿大（商業組織）、日本、韓國、瑞士、英國和美國（參與歐盟-美國數據隱私框架的商業組織）等國家或地區做出了充分性決定。然而，中國目前尚未獲得歐盟委員會的充分性決定，這意味著中國企業不能僅憑此機制將歐盟用戶數據傳輸回國。

在沒有充分性決定的情況下，企業可以通過提供“適當保障措施”來合法傳輸數據。這些保障措施必須確保數據主體享有可執行的權利和有效的法律救濟。GDPR第46條列舉了多種適當保障措施，其中最常用的是：

• 標准合同條款（Standard Contractual Clauses, SCCs）： 這是最常見且廣泛使用的機制。歐盟委員會發布了標准化的合同條款，數據出口方和進口方簽署後，即可為數據傳輸提供適當保障。2021年6月，歐盟委員會發布了新版SCCs，以適應現代數據處理鏈的複雜性，並涵蓋了控制者-控制者、控制者-處理者、處理者-處理者以及處理者-控制者等多種傳輸場景。SCCs還要求進行“傳輸影響評估”（Transfer Impact Assessment, TIA），以評估接收國法律是否會影響SCCs的有效性。

• 約束性公司規則（Binding Corporate Rules, BCRs）： 適用於跨國公司集團內部的數據傳輸。BCRs是一套內部規則，需經主管數據保護機構批准，並對集團內所有實體具有約束力，確保數據保護水平一致。

• 行為准則（Codes of Conduct）和認證機制（Certification Mechanisms）： 這些是GDPR引入的新工具，通過行業行為准則或認證來證明數據保護合規性，但目前仍在發展中。

• 臨時合同條款（Ad hoc contractual clauses）： 如果企業不使用歐盟委員會的標准合同條款，可以自行起草合同條款，但必須獲得主管數據保護機構的授權。

As global economic integration and digitalization deepen, a growing number of Chinese companies are expanding their operations into the European Union market. In this process, how to legally and securely transfer the personal data of EU users back to China has become a significant compliance challenge for these enterprises. The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) imposes strict rules on the cross-border transfer of personal data, aiming to ensure that wherever the data is transferred, its level of protection remains consistent with that within the EU. This article will delve into the cross-border data transfer mechanisms under the GDPR and provide compliance guidance for Chinese companies expanding into the EU, supported by real-world case studies.

If the European Commission determines that a non-EEA country or international organization provides a level of data protection that is essentially equivalent to that within the EEA, it issues an “adequacy decision.” Once an adequacy decision is in place, data can be freely transferred to that country or organization without the need for additional safeguards. Currently, the European Commission has issued adequacy decisions for countries and territories such as Andorra, Argentina, Canada (commercial organizations), Japan, South Korea, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States (for commercial organizations participating in the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework). However, China has not yet received an adequacy decision from the European Commission, which means that Chinese companies cannot rely solely on this mechanism to transfer EU user data back to China.

In the absence of an adequacy decision, companies can legally transfer data by providing “appropriate safeguards.” These safeguards must ensure that data subjects have enforceable rights and effective legal remedies. Article 46 of the GDPR lists several appropriate safeguards, the most common of which are:

• Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs): This is the most common and widely used mechanism. The European Commission has published standardized contractual clauses that, when signed by the data exporter and importer, provide appropriate safeguards for the data transfer. In June 2021, the European Commission released a new version of the SCCs to adapt to the complexity of modern data processing chains and to cover various transfer scenarios, including controller-to-controller, controller-to-processor, processor-to-processor, and processor-to-controller. The SCCs also require a “Transfer Impact Assessment” (TIA) to be conducted to assess whether the laws of the recipient country could undermine the effectiveness of the SCCs.

• Binding Corporate Rules (BCRs): These are suitable for data transfers within a multinational corporate group. BCRs are a set of internal rules that must be approved by the competent data protection authority and are binding on all entities within the group, ensuring a consistent level of data protection.

• Codes of Conduct and Certification Mechanisms: These are new tools introduced by the GDPR that use industry codes of conduct or certifications to demonstrate data protection compliance, but they are still under development.

• Ad hoc contractual clauses: If a company chooses not to use the European Commission’s standard contractual clauses, it can draft its own contractual clauses, but these must be authorized by the competent data protection authority.