No Silver Bullet, But a Silver Lining? PETs and International Data Transfers

Is there a role for Privacy Enhancing Technologies (PETs) to play in the context of international data transfers? The answer to this question could be one of the keys to unlock trusted cross-border data flows at scale in the age of AI.

This was the topic explored in a session organized by the Future of Privacy Forum (FPF) during the Global CBPR Forum in Lima, Peru. Bringing together technical, regulatory, policy, and academic perspectives, the session provided an in-depth overview of initiatives centering on PETs in data transfer developments. It included a technical presentation of two of the most promising such technologies available – trusted execution environments and differential privacy, as well as a recent use case from a US-UK policy pilot and a regional perspective on PETs adoption in Latin America.

The session highlighted both the growing maturity of PETs deployments, as well as the structural challenges that continue to shape their adoption. A central takeaway was that PETs are increasingly being positioned as enabling tools for data use and collaboration — particularly in contexts where legal, regulatory, or trust constraints have historically limited data sharing. By illustrating a specific medical use case and their technical features, speakers demonstrated how PETs can support more responsible data ecosystems and trusted data sharing.

You can read the full blog on the Global CBPR Forum’s website here.