Problems new US trade deal may pose for global e-commerce

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The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) is more than just an updated version of the North American Free Trade Agreement. With the inclusion of a digital trade chapter, the deal sets a new standard for e-commerce that seems likely to proliferate in similar agreements around the world.

Negotiators have touted the benefits of addressing modern forms of commerce, but the reality is that the USMCA's digital trade chapter raises many concerns, locking in rules that will hamstring online policies for decades by restricting privacy safeguards and hampering efforts to establish new regulation in the digital environment.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on October 05, 2018, with the headline Problems new US trade deal may pose for global e-commerce. Subscribe