In the wake of the Paris terror attacks and the San Bernardino shootings, US Attorney General Loretta Lynch has criticized European governments for restrictions placed on intelligence agencies sharing counterterrorism information with their peers across the Atlantic and around the world.

Speaking in central London Loretta Lynch said that it is particularly disappointing that the European Court of Justice struck down the Safe Harbor agreement signed in 2000. This agreement allowed US companies to easily send customer data from the European Union to servers based across the Atlantic.

Proposed legislation which is currently before the European Parliament and which could further restrict European data sharing also drew criticism from Lynch. "It is highly concerning to us that data privacy legislation advancing in the European Parliament might further restrict transatlantic information sharing," she said.

"It is important that all of us, on both sides of the Atlantic, work to set the record straight regarding our commitment to protect not only the safety of our citizens, but also their civil liberties and privacy," Lynch added.

A number of years ago, the US began working with a group of countries, including the UK and France, to create what it calls "the 24/7 cyber network," a rapid reaction system that now links approximately 70 countries. It was this system that allowed French investigators to work instantly to preserve data from social media accounts and webpages connected to the Paris terror attacks and to seek emergency disclosures to protect lives.