WASHINGTON – October 26, 2018 – BSA | The Software Alliance urged the UK government to include digital trade rules in its upcoming negotiations with the United States, New Zealand, and Australia in comments submitted to the UK International Trade Secretary. Britain is the leader of Europe’s software industry – with software contributing £140 billion (€170 billion) to the UK economy and supporting 2.7 million UK jobs.  Investment in the UK software sector, as well as UK software exports, are poised to benefit from strong digital trade provisions that facilitate cross border data transfers and limit requirements to localize data within borders. To foster the technologies of tomorrow – from artificial intelligence to blockchain – data must be able to move freely across borders, not just within Europe, but around the world.

Currently, there is no international consensus on data rules, but Britain can help create one by making digital trade a priority in these upcoming negotiations and in any future free trade agreements. BSA hopes the UK government will see the digital trade chapter in the recent US-Mexico-Canada Agreement as a springboard for future negotiations.  

Learn more about BSA’s digital trade priorities and the benefits of cross-border data flows.