Recent actions by major countries have had the effect of fragmenting the Internet, including restrictions on the flow of data across national borders (e.g., mandated in-country server location). In a global economy, we believe that such barriers needlessly hamper the creation of innovative products and services, adoption of information-based business models and use of scalable global business operations. Business Roundtable promotes globally consistent information technology policies that ensure market-friendly conditions for cross-border information management.
Business Imperative
Cross-border networked technologies such as cloud computing, mobile commerce and data analytics are enabling a new age of business competitiveness and efficiency. For example, both services and manufacturing companies rely upon data to service their customers and manage their supply chains and internal operations efficiently. However, global companies cannot fully realize the benefits of these and other information-based business models without a maximized ability to send data across national borders and to process, store, and access data in other countries, consistent with compatible national laws related to data ownership and protection.
Cross-Border Data Flows
Global and domestic cross-border data flows are essential to the competitive and efficient operation of many companies in the global economy. Overbroad government restrictions on data flows and IT infrastructure create risks for global business that must be understood and minimized by policymakers in trade agreements, legislation, and regulatory proceedings.