The Trump administration has reportedly told the country’s diplomats to push back against foreign data sovereignty laws. They argued that those regulations would threaten global data flows while limiting AI and cloud services.
Reuters cited an internal diplomatic cable signed by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio which stated data sovereignty, or data localisation regulations could also increase costs and heighten cybersecurity risks.
The cable stated the European Union’s GDPR laws are “unnecessarily burdensome,” for U.S. tech companies because they impede cross‑border data transfers.
Efforts to regulate how U.S. tech giants such as Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, Google and OpenAI handle and store foreign citizens’ data have accelerated across Europe.
The cable further accuses China of linking its global tech infrastructure projects to restrictive data rules which expand its influence.
Reuters explained the directive also instructs diplomats to monitor new data‑restriction proposals and promote the Global Cross‑Border Privacy Rules Forum, a group formed by the U.S., Mexico, Canada, Australia, Japan which is aimed at supporting the free flow of data internationally.
It follows previous US efforts to oppose European Union’s digital regulations, including the Digital Services Act.
The Trump administration is attempting to control the AI narrative both at home and abroad, citing the need to protect the country’s AI dominance in the face of perceived threats by countries such as China.
Source: Mobile World Live
Image Credit: Stock Image
