Description:
Businesses increasingly rely on data to conduct their domestic and international operations. Cross-border data flows are inherent to international business operations, such as the sourcing of ICT services from foreign suppliers, the offer for sale of goods, services and intellectual property online in a more cost-efficient way, or even the management of supply chain logistics and foreign-established subsidiaries, among other business applications that involve international trade. Trade in all its forms is facilitated when Internet functions at its best and data can flow freely and efficiently. In fact, the Covid-19 pandemic has stressed the importance of data flows within and across borders for tele-working, distance learning and global logistics. Due to the non-rival nature of data, the societal value of data increases when a dataset can be used by many others to make decisions and can be enhanced through combination with other datasets. As such, data flows not only contribute to the execution of international activities, when complemented by data sharing it can also foster competition and innovation. That said, governments are introducing new laws and regulations governing data and cross-border data flows. These moves aim at addressing legitimate policy goals such as privacy protection, combatting cybercrime or copyright infringement. Another concerns centre on how to promote market competition and innovation, as well as on the ways to achieve a more equitable distribution of the value generated from data. When well designed, data regulations may enhance trust in the digital space and thereby facilitate cross-border data flows. They may also foster competition and innovation, as well as improved control by individuals over their personal data. But best practices are not yet evident. Some data regulations may be more restrictive to data flows and trade than others. Some stakeholders argue that highly restrictive measures could “break the Internet”, as we know it. Can trade principles also offer some guidance in this respect? Can the Internet community provide trade policy makers with examples of best practices to address data-related policy issues? How can governments and other stakeholders collaborate to address data-related policy issues, while minimizing impact on trade flows and the Internet infrastructure? In order to explore these questions, the Session will: i. How are international business operations are affected by and adapt to different data regulations, including privacy regulation, cyber-security regulation, and data sharing frameworks, among others. ii. How do data regulations impact the Internet infrastructure, such as trust, and in turn, enable the conduct of international business operations iii. What are examples of international cooperation methods meant to reduce trade costs resulting from the fragmented data regulatory frameworks.
