Cross Border Data Flows

An exploration of the current state of global trade law in the era of Big Data and AI. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

Governing cross-border data flows is inherently difficult given the ubiquity and value of data, and the impact government policies can have on business, innovation and societal interests. This book engages with the unexplored topic of why and how governments should develop a coherent and consistent framework regulating cross-border data flows.

This book focuses on the PRC’s cross-border data transfer legislation in recent years, as well as the implications for international trade law. The book addresses the convergence of industries and technologies notably caused by digitization; the issue of conflicts between goods and services; and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) as well as the difficulty of classifying service sectors under WTO members’ commitments. The book also examines the FTAs that entered into force after 2012 that regulate digital trade beyond the venue of the WTO and analyzes their rules of relevance for cross-border data flows and international trade. It asks whether and how these FTAs have deliberately reacted to the increasing importance of data flows as well as to the trouble of governing them in the context of global governance

Written by a renowned expert on data protection law, this work examines the history, policies, and future of transborder data flow regulation, and is the only text to provide a detailed legal analysis of its global implications.

Over 70 countries and various international organizations have adopted data protection and privacy laws that regulate the cross-border transfer of personal data outside their borders. In an era of globalization and the Internet, these restrictions have immense implications for citizens, companies, and governments. This work, written by a renowned expert on data protection law, examines the history, policies, and future of transborder data flow regulation. Kuner traces the history of regulation in different regions, beginning with the earliest European laws in the 1970s, through to leading regi.

This report improves the evidence base on the role of Data Driven Innovation for promoting growth and well-being, and provide policy guidance on how to maximise the benefits of DDI and mitigate the associated economic and societal risks.

The Information Economy Report 2017 analyzes the evolving digital economy and its implications for trade and development. While these are still early days of the digital economy, it is already clear that it will have globally transformative impacts on the way we live, work and develop our economies. As the world strives to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, harnessing the power of information and communications technologies (ICTs) is essential. Large parts of the developing world remain disconnected from the Internet, and many people lack access to high-speed broadband connectivity. Policymaking at the national and international levels needs to mitigate the risk that digitalization could widen existing divides and create new gaps. Since increased reliance on digital technologies, such as cloud computing, three-dimensional printing, big data and “the Internet of things”, it is essential to start assessing opportunities and pitfalls alike, and to prepare for what is coming. The analysis contained in the report contributes to this process and proposes ways in which the international community can reduce inequality, enable the benefits of digitalization to reach all people and ensure that no one is left behind by the evolving digital economy.