The global digital economy is at a significant juncture with pivotal decisions on the horizon. These determinations will influence whether the Internet continues to be a source of innovation, economic progress, and free expression, or becomes restricted and controlled. The United States is uniquely positioned to guide the world toward a future where the Internet benefits individuals, businesses, and societies.
Several organizations and experts advocate for an open, global, secure, and trusted Internet, asserting it is vital for digital trade and online discourse. They express willingness to assist the administration in promoting principles that enhance the Internet's role in enabling innovation, encouraging free expression and access to information, and supporting a dynamic digital economy.
The Internet's role in transforming how we live, work, speak, and learn is well-recognized. However, current policies in certain countries threaten its foundational elements. These policies, which include restricting data flows across borders, mandating data localization, demanding source code disclosure, and discriminating against foreign digital products, could inhibit progress, economic growth, and fundamental freedoms.
The United States has a historical precedent of promoting an open Internet. Leaders in Congress, including Senators John Thune and Ron Wyden, have been instrumental since the 1990s, particularly from 2013 onward, in advocating for the free flow of data among trading partners and against discrimination towards American digital content. Their initiatives, supported by both parties, laid groundwork through trade agreements, including those during the Trump administration, ensuring the Internet's role in supporting the U.S. digital economy.
The current call is for the U.S. to maintain this leadership by collaborating with allied nations to establish a framework for open data flows vital for an open Internet and digital trade. The proposed core principles are as follows:
- **Free Flow of Information**: The U.S. should advocate for an unrestricted flow of data across borders, without stifling innovation, limiting consumer options, or impeding global idea exchanges.
- **Data Security and Privacy**: Since data localization does not enhance security, the U.S. must push back against such measures, promoting data security and privacy through international cooperation and robust cybersecurity standards.
- **Prevention of Source Code Disclosure**: The U.S. must oppose forced source code disclosures that undermine intellectual property and pose cyber threats, acknowledging the significance of protecting IP for a digital economy.
- **Non-discrimination Against Foreign Digital Services**: The U.S. should champion equal opportunities for digital businesses, urging nations to avoid discrimination against foreign digital products, which can impede market choice and global competition benefits.
The United States has an opportunity to defend the Internet and shape the digital economy's future. By championing these principles, the U.S. could establish a global digital environment that remains open, secure, and universally beneficial. This call is made by the Internet Society, American Civil Liberties Union, Center for Democracy and Technology, Freedom House, and the Internet Society Washington DC Chapter, and is extended to the Administration and Congress to guide the world towards a progressive digital future.