On October 25, the United States announced that it had removed its support for proposals related to data flows, data localization, and source code in negotiations at the WTO, and withdrew its proposal on non-discriminatory treatment of digital products. This followed an earlier pause in negotiating similar provisions as part of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), saying it wanted to “provide enough policy space” for debates on critical e-commerce issues. The United States had previously led negotiations on these issues, which had been included in the U.S Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA) and were broadly supported on Capitol Hill – though opposed by others in Congress and by groups such as Public Citizen.
Please join WITA on Friday, November 17 for a webinar to discuss the implications of the U.S. move, and what it might mean for digital trade and governance.
Featured Speakers:
- Eric Adams, Founder and CEO, Dog & Whistle
- Christine Bannan, U.S. Public Policy Manager, Proton
- Sean Heather, Senior Vice President, International Regulatory Affairs & Antitrust, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
- Melinda St. Louis, Director, Public Citizen’s Global Trade Watch
- Moderator: Josh Meltzer, Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution; Governing Digital Trade and Data Flows Expert, PolicyWare