US tech policy reform will prioritise data protection

Significance

New state-level data protection laws, and a potential federal privacy law, are emerging as an important challenge for major US technology firms. Already they face rising pressures regarding their market power, commercial exploitation of personal data, and their platforms' role in spreading disinformation and fake news.

Impacts

• The latitude of US constitutional protections of free speech will make tackling misinformation more challenging than in other countries.
• The persistence of an advertising-based business model means the spread of misinformation will not slow significantly.
• Washington will prioritise negotiating a new transatlantic data transfer agreement with the EU.