The NSA has shot American Tech companies in the foot

Ah, the ripple of the European court ruling prohibiting data sharing with the USA continues:

The data protection authority at the German federal state of Schleswig Holstein has declared that any and all data protection workarounds for the transfer of data to the US after the European Court of Justice's Schrems v Facebook judgment are going to be illegal.

In its first declaration on the post-Schrems legal landscape, the influential DPA says in a written opinion (in German) that only a change in US law can make US companies compliant with European legislation and has advised companies to adjust their business relationships accordingly.

It has warned businesses and governmental bodies that they may be fined up to €300,000 for the transfer of personal data to the US "without a legal basis".

This is a huge mess, and will continue to get messier.  Keep your eye on this one - Europe is playing chicken with the NSA and American tech companies are thinking that maybe they shouldn't have come along on this joy ride.