Reference News Network, February 26 report: According to Reuters, February 25 report, the U.S. government has ordered U.S. diplomats to lobby against attempts by other countries to regulate how U.S. technology companies handle foreign data.
Experts said the move marks a return of the Trump administration's more confrontational stance, as some countries are seeking to limit the behavior of Silicon Valley companies in handling and storing personal information of their citizens. These measures are often called "data sovereignty" or "data localization."
In a telegram dated February 18, signed by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the State Department stated that such measures would "disrupt global data flows, increase costs and cybersecurity risks, limit artificial intelligence and cloud services, and expand government control in ways that may harm civil liberties and foster censorship."
The telegram said the Trump administration is pushing for a "more aggressive international data policy," instructing its diplomats to "resist unnecessary stringent regulations, such as mandatory requirements for data localization."
Data sovereignty measures are particularly accelerating in Europe due to heightened tensions between the U.S. and Europe over Washington's protectionist trade policies and support for far-right parties. The dominant position of U.S. artificial intelligence companies (many of which rely on massive amounts of personal data to drive models) highlights European concerns about privacy and surveillance.
Bert Hubert, a Dutch cloud computing expert, said that Europe's growing vigilance toward U.S. tech companies may prompt Washington to take a more aggressive approach.
He said, "(The) previous administration tried to win over European customers, while this administration asks Europeans to ignore their data privacy regulations that may hinder U.S. companies." (Translated by Lin Zhaohui)
Original: toutiao.com/article/7611049870392148507/
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