US government seeks to pushback against global data sovereignty efforts
25/02/2026 | Reuters
Concerns are mounting as reports emerge that the US government is instructing its diplomats to lobby against foreign governments' efforts to regulate how technology companies manage the personal data of their citizens. In an internal State Department cable dated 18 February 2026, Secretary of State Marco Rubio described "data sovereignty" and "data localisation" initiatives as threats to global data flows. The Trump administration argues these regulations disrupt artificial intelligence (AI) services, increase cybersecurity risks, and expand government control in ways that may undermine civil liberties or facilitate censorship.
This directive signals a shift toward a more confrontational approach, and specifically identifies the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) as unnecessarily burdensome.
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