[bestbits] USTR report on data, criticizes EU

[Louis Pouzin (well)]

Such US centric piece of lamentations is pretending not to see the
connection with NSA mass surveillance.

Who sows the wind reaps a whirlwind.
 .
Louis
- - -

On Mon, Apr 7, 2014 at 4:37 PM, Burcu Kilic <bkilic at citizen.org> wrote:

> Thought this might be of interest to some of you here.
>
> Burcu
>
>
>
> *From:* Jeffrey Chester [mailto:jeff at democraticmedia.org]
> *Sent:* Saturday, April 05, 2014 10:40 AM
> *To:* ttip-info at tacd.org
> *Subject:* [TACD TTIP] USTR report on data, criticizes EU
>
>
>
> excerpt:  ...the European Union (EU), where a variety of voices,
> including a leading German telecommunications supplier, are openly
> advocating for trade-distortive restrictions on data flows, purportedly
> justified on privacy grounds. ...Recent proposals from countries within the
> European Union to create a Europe-only electronic network (dubbed a
> "Schengen cloud" by advocates) or to create national-only electronic
> networks could potentially lead to effective exclusion or discrimination
> against foreign service suppliers that are directly offering network
> services, or dependent on them.
>
> In particular, Deutsche Telekom AG (DTAG), Germany's biggest phone
> company, is publicly advocating for EU-wide statutory requirements that
> electronic transmissions between EU residents stay within the territory of
> the EU, in the name of stronger privacy protection.6 Specifically, DTAG
> has called for statutory requirements that all data generated within the EU
> not be unnecessarily routed outside of the EU; and has called for
> revocation of the U.S.-EU "Safe Harbor" Framework, which has provided a
> practical mechanism for both U.S companies and their business partners in
> Europe to export data to the United States, while adhering to EU privacy
> requirements. The United States and the EU share common interests in
> protecting their citizens' privacy, but the draconian approach proposed by
> DTAG and others appears to be a means of providing protectionist advantage
> to EU-based ICT suppliers. Given the breath of legitimate services that
> rely on geographically-dispersed data processing and storage, a requirement
> to route all traffic involving EU consumers within Europe, would decrease
> efficiency and stifle innovation. For example, a supplier may transmit,
> store, and process its data outside the EU more efficiently, depending on
> the location of its data centers. An innovative supplier from outside of
> Europe may refrain from offering its services in the EU because it may find
> EU-based storage and processing requirements infeasible for nascent
> services launched from outside of Europe. Furthermore, any mandatory
> intra-EU routing may raise questions with respect to compliance with the
> EU's trade obligations with respect to Internet-enabled services.
> Accordingly, USTR will be carefully monitoring the development of any such
> proposals.
>
>
> USTR Targets Telecommunications Trade Barriers
>
> *Annual Report Highlights Cross-border Data Flows, Competition Issues,*
>
> *Legal Restrictions on Foreign Access, and Local Content Requirements,
> Other Roadblocks Faced by U.S. Telecom Suppliers and Exporters*
>
> *Washington, D.C.* - United States Trade Representative Michael Froman
> today
>
>
> http://www.ustr.gov/about-us/press-office/press-releases/2014/March/USTR-Targets-Telecommunications-Trade-Barriers
>
>
>
> Jeffrey Chester
>
> Center for Digital Democracy
>
> 1621 Connecticut Ave, NW, Suite 550
>
> Washington, DC 20009
>
> www.democraticmedia.org
>
> www.digitalads.org
>
> 202-986-2220
>
>
>
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