Few subjects are more sensitive for Web users, or more likely to raise concerns in the corridors of Facebook or Google, that the way to regulate privacy.
For years, the United States and Europe, with nearly 700 million users between them, differed in their approach to policing the Web.
But both sides converging in their views of privacy on the Web, in part because of intensive meetings in recent months between regulators in Washington and Brussels.
There are still many details to work out - final legislative proposals are not expected from the European Union later this year and the U.S. in June or July - but officials are confident to continuously reduce the gap.
"Until recently, there was a common belief that our approaches differ on privacy, so that it would be difficult to work together," Justice Commissioner of the European Union, Viviane Reding, said in a recent speech.
"This can not be sustained."
Experts from both sides met again in Brussels last week. Then U.S. Ambassador to the EU, William Kennard, mirror the thoughts of Ms Reding, saying differences between the two parties had been overestimated.
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