GLOBAL
DTA: DTA Statement on USTR’s National Trade Estimate (NTE) Report, 2026
On April 1, 2026, the United States Trade Representative (USTR) released the latest version of its National Trade Estimate (NTE) Report, which purports to identify non-tariff barriers faced by U.S companies around the world.
While the NTE report has historically regurgitated unwarranted corporate complaints against global public health, consumer protection and digital rights regulations, the release of this year’s report takes on added importance given that the 2025 NTE report was explicitly tied to the imposition of supposed “reciprocal” tariffs by President Trump. In essence, President Trump declared a trade war on countries who attempted to regulate Big Tech in the interests of their people.
This year’s report doubles down on Big Tech’s wishlist, with increases in the number of global digital regulations being targeted compared to last year.
CCPA: Digital divergence splits another WTO ministerial – Jessica Gan
The World Trade Organization’s (WTO) 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14), held in Yaoundé, Cameroon last week, concluded in the early hours of March 30 without reaching agreement on the renewal of the moratorium on duties on electronic transmission, a work plan on WTO reform, or any other issue.
“MC14 has ended not with a deal but with a walkout,” said Fernando Hernandez, head of trade and investment policy at environmental organization Both Ends. “The United States could not secure a long enough tax holiday for Big Tech, so it blocked agreement on everything else.”
Given that approximately 60 per cent of global GDP is now linked to digital transactions—and that this share is expected to continue growing—supporters often present the AEC as a mechanism to enhance stability and predictability for businesses and consumers, while expanding opportunities for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises by reducing regulatory barriers and improving access to global markets. It is also argued that the AEC promotes inclusive growth by offering developing countries and least-developed countries flexible implementation periods, technical assistance, and support through capacity-building initiatives.
Nevertheless, concerns about the digital divide must remain central to any legal integration of e-commerce rules, particularly in relation to the moratorium. Without adequate safeguards and meaningful differential treatment for lower income and developing countries, current approaches risk exacerbating structural inequalities rather than alleviating them.
TWN: MC14: US blames Brazil, Turkiye for impasse on e-commerce moratorium – D Ravi Kanth
The United States blamed Brazil and Turkiye for the “impasse” on extending the moratorium on customs duties on electronic transmissions at the World Trade Organization’s 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14), according to a press release issued by the United States Trade Representative (USTR) on 30 March.
However, many countries held the US as being responsible for the failure of MC14 with its “maximalist” agenda in insisting on a permanent e-commerce moratorium, later for a double-digit duration, and finally for four years while killing all the other issues, including agriculture and even WTO reform, said participants on background basis.
DigitalBusinessAfrica: WTO MC14 in Yaoundé and E-Commerce: Brazil, the Main Opponent to the Permanent Moratorium Sought by Washington
During the 14th WTO Ministerial Conference in Yaoundé from 26 to 29 March 2026, Brazil emerged as the primary counterbalance to US demands to make the moratorium on electronic transmissions permanent. While the United States advocated for an unlimited extension to safeguard its digital giants, Brasília argued for a more cautious approach centred on development and the fiscal sovereignty of developing countries.
In its official communication to WTO members one week before MC14, Brazil recalled that the digital divide persists and that disparities are exacerbated by the ongoing technological transformation. For Brasília, it is essential to have new empirical analyses on the moratorium’s impact.
Brazil expressed support for a temporary extension of the moratorium until the next ministerial conference but rejected the idea of a permanent extension. It emphasises the need not to include digital content within the scope of the moratorium, in order to preserve the ability of states to tax certain digital services if necessary.
Politico: As the WTO flounders, the world’s middle powers go their own way – Caroline Hug
TLDR: Developed countries are unhappy that the WTO is no longer working for them. Thus, workarounds will be found.
“A last-ditch attempt to overhaul the stricken World Trade Organization failed at its ministerial conference in Cameroon, pushing a coalition of the willing to strike out on its own to save rules-based trade.
Talks to reform the global trade body collapsed on Sunday night over a standoff between Washington and Brazil — leading the work to be pushed back to the WTO’s General Council in Geneva this May.
A long-standing tariff ban on digital imports was also allowed to lapse, meaning that countries can from Monday impose duties on streaming services, software, and e-commerce transactions, though it seems unlikely countries will pull the trigger for now.”
Politico: Digital tariff deal deadlock throws WTO reform into doubt – Caroline Hug
As ministerial talks at the World Trade Organization stretched into overtime on Sunday evening, the delegates who had not yet caught their flights home were bracing for a decision on how a work plan to overhaul the struggling institution can move forward.
At the center of the impasse was the fate of the e-commerce moratorium, a long-standing ban on digital tariffs set to expire Monday.
Negotiations were continuing behind closed doors on what was meant to be the final day of a four-day ministerial meeting in Yaoundé, Cameroon. Multiple officials indicated a compromise was emerging around a four-year extension, paired with a roughly one-year sunset clause designed to give businesses time to adjust.
Politico: Countries sidestep WTO deadlock to implement e-commerce deal – Caroline Hug
Sixty-six members of the World Trade Organization have decided to forge ahead with a new path to bring an e-commerce agreement into force, with consensus among all WTO members still to be reached.
The plurilateral Joint Statement Initiative (JSI) on e-commerce includes provisions on digital flows, electronic contracts and privacy and consumer protection. India has consistently blocked the plurilateral deal from being adopted into the WTO framework, arguing that such arrangements undermine consensus.
Now, members spanning 70 percent of global trade — including Australia, China, Britain and the European Union — will implement the agreement among themselves in their domestic legislation.
Politico: When the World Stops Syncing – Emily Cadei
One year after Trump declared “Liberation Day” from the post-World War II consensus on global trade, that may stand as the most lasting consequence of the tariff regime he is now scrambling to rebuild after much of it was invalidated by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Even if the next president rolls back any remaining duties — which he or she could do, given Trump’s reliance on executive authority rather than congressional approval — the convulsions of Trump’s trade war have already had a durable impact. His policies have accelerated an ongoing pivot away from the free-trade principles that have governed international commerce for nearly 80 years, which is beginning to splinter the global market that multinational corporations covet. Trade flows are being re-routed, new regional trade blocs emerging.
This will add up to far-reaching impacts across the technological landscape, where cross-border collaboration has given breakthrough inventions greater reach and made them far more useful to consumers (and marketable for companies). It’s why we have international bodies that set standards for things like Internet domains, driver navigation systems and even cell phone emojis. It’s not clear a similar technological advance could engender the same collaboration, or achieve the same global reach, in the current climate.
TechPolicyPress: Data Work Is Too Secretive. Big Tech Should be Held Accountable – Tatiana Das
Usually, Big Tech companies don’t disclose publicly which data work companies they rely on to train their AI models, according to the Foundation Model Transparency Index. But now, a newly released investigation conducted by the Dutch nonprofit organization The Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations (SOMO) has mapped the network that supplies this cheap labor for Big Tech.
According to its findings, there are at least 30 data work platforms — from outsourcing companies (BPOs) such as Sama to crowdwork platforms like Clickworkers — used by Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft and Nvidia.
The investigation shed important light on to what extent contractors are accountable for workers’ conditions, as well as the risks and labor rights violations they potentially face. Even when Big Tech companies don’t directly employ data workers, they can influence working conditions by cutting costs and demanding tight deadlines, said the researchers.
BotPopuli: A Brief History of Global AI Governance – Anita Gurumurthy and Nandini Chami
Yet, beyond the din of declarations lies the stark reality of countries scaling down AI regulation in 2025 — a palpable expediency that is dangerous for democracy worldwide. Strategic economic and military interests under the Trump administration have skewed AI deployment on the international stage, resulting in a rollback of some Biden-era safety rules. Silicon Valley Big Tech has more than taken the cue — dropping any pretence of caring about ethics, normalizing recklessness. Corporate lobbying in the EU has led to a dilution of the EU AI Act, as permissive innovation and simplified compliance have become stand-ins for politico-economic sovereignty. Southern players like India have steered clear of a single comprehensive law, inviting industry to go forth and innovate within the comfort of voluntary standards. Meanwhile, China’s ‘controlled’ innovation approach speaks to an aggressive drive for AI integration in domestic manufacturing, education, and health, with internal political impulses guiding the market.
Governance calls for intentionality; it needs pause, taking stock, examining competing considerations, and going back to constitutional values, public interest, and democratic visions of the future to make the decisions of the day. This short history of the AI governance landscape seems to suggest otherwise. In this essay, we reflect on the shifting interests and self-serving politics that have kept the needle on the AI governance compass deflected, preventing global alignment on our collective moral futures. We argue that the Global Dialogue on AI Governance must move the needle towards a geopolitics of universal solidarity and wellbeing, anchored in mutual responsibility and shared purpose.
ASIA
TechPolicyPress: How India’s New Free Trade Agreement with the EU Limits AI Governance – Shweta Kushe
The India-EU FTA’s Digital Trade Chapter establishes a broad prohibition on requiring the transfer of or access to source code. This prohibition is combined with narrow, largely reactive carve-outs that risk leaving India’s regulators without proactive audit authority over algorithms that shape finance, healthcare and critical infrastructure. Similar concerns arose during negotiations of the India-UK Free Trade Agreement (India-UK FTA), regarding source-code related provisions. However, that agreement explicitly preserved space for algorithmic accountability. By contrast, the India-EU FTA is silent, creating a notable l asymmetry: The EU retains meaningful scrutiny over AI systems through its internal legislation, i.e., the EU AI Act 2024 (Article 74), while India’s ability to examine EU‑origin AI deployed within its borders is legally constrained by the India-EU FTA’s text.
Geopolitechs: China Rolls Out Interim Regulations on AI Human-Like Interaction Services: A Detailed Analysis
On April 10, China’s National Development and Reform Commission, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Ministry of Public Security, and State Administration for Market Regulation jointly released the Interim Measures for the Management of Anthropomorphic AI Interaction Services, which will take effect on July 15, 2026.
The final version reflects a clearer regulatory philosophy: tighten boundaries around high-risk use cases, strengthen systemic governance, and enforce accountability—while still leaving space for innovation.
First, the regulatory scope has been narrowed but clarified.
Second, protections for minors have been substantially strengthened.
Third, the regulatory approach has evolved—from reactive intervention to system-level governance.
Fourth, some rigid operational requirements have been relaxed.
Fifth, enforcement mechanisms have been significantly strengthened.
Sixth, the policy direction is more balanced—combining risk control with support for innovation.
Luiza’sNewesletter: China’s Approach to AI Anthropomorphism – Luiza Jarovsky
China has recently launched a public consultation on its proposed new law on AI anthropomorphism, titled “Interim Measures for the Administration of Humanized Interactive Services Based on AI.”
Most people in Europe and the United States, including lawmakers and policymakers, do not seem to have paid much attention.
I have also not seen public debates or comparisons of the provisions of the proposed Chinese law with those of the EU AI Act or U.S. state laws that cover the topic.
The provisions of China’s proposed law on AI anthropomorphism, however, deserve attention because they:
- Demystify the false idea that China does not regulate AI or that the only way to be a competitive player in the AI race is through radical deregulation or inattention to AI harms;
- Offer a real-world example of a legal framework that acknowledges AI-related human vulnerabilities and proposes contextual technical measures to prevent AI-anthropomorphism-related harm.
EUROPE
Euractiv: Commission confirms ‘dialogue’ with US after its attacks on EU tech rules – Maximilian Henning
The European Commission on Wednesday confirmed tech talks are taking place with the United States, after media reports had suggested it could give Washington a say over how EU rules are enforced on US tech companies in the future.
European tech rules have been a flapping red rag for Donald Trump since his re-election, with the US president explicitly directing his administration to apply pressure on Brussels to weaken them.
The topic became especially politicised last year, when the US threw up high tariff barriers against supposed European allies – linked lowering them with the EU changing its rules.
For its part, the Commission has publicly maintained that the EU’s landmark tech rulebook – principally the Digital Services Act (DSA) and Digital Markets Act (DMA) – is not on the negotiating table in EU–US tariff talks.
A Commission spokesperson reiterated that this position on Wednesday. But they also confirmed that it’s in discussions with the US to set up a “dialogue to reinforce our cooperation on digital technologies and markets”.
Politico: ‘Fatal decision’: EU slammed for caving to US pressure on digital rules – Milena Wälde
EU lawmakers tore into the European Commission on Wednesday over its plans to open a “dialogue” with Washington on tech rules, warning it risks opening a back door for the Trump administration into the EU’s flagship digital laws.
“[U.S. President Donald] Trump’s approval ratings are at a record low, his war against Iran is gutting the global economy. But instead of creating a sovereign path forward for Europe, [Commission President
Ursula] von der Leyen kisses the ring time and again,” Greens lawmaker Alexandra Geese told POLITICO.
Allowing U.S. officials to take part in discussions on the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the Digital Markets Act (DMA), she added, would let “platforms … grade their own homework” — amounting to a “fatal decision for our companies and our democracy.”
Yahoo: European users step up bid to break away from Big Tech
On 1 April 2026, a report in the online politics title Politico discussed how European Union (EU) lawmakers had fallen out with the European Commission over plans to open up a dialogue with Washington over the EU’s tech regulation rules. The lawmakers fear such a move risks watering down the EU’s digital services laws and could block plans to step up Europe’s path to greater tech sovereignty.
According to Alexandra Geese from the Greens political party, allowing US Government officials to take part in talks about the EU’s Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act would let (tech) “platforms … grade their own homework” — amounting to a “fatal decision for our companies and our democracy,” she told Politico.
It is this quandary over the power and reach of Big Tech that is driving European organisations to take bolder steps to water down the reach of Silicon Valley by using home-grown or open-source products.
Euractiv: Europe’s AI sovereignty just became a security emergency – Vladimír Šucha
In March 2025, NATO acquired the Maven Smart System, an AI-powered targeting platform built by the American defence contractor Palantir that runs on AI models developed by US companies. One year later, that same system helped coordinate the bombing of over 1,000 targets in Iran in 24 hours.
No European parliament debated this acquisition. No European government voted on the terms under which its military would depend on American AI for battlefield decisions. And the only company that tried to maintain ethical constraints on how its AI could be used in warfare was blacklisted within 72 hours.
This is no longer a technology policy debate. It is a European security emergency.
Politico: Europe needs to control AI for defense, top industry exec says – Pieter Haeck and Laurens Cerulus
Europe needs to develop its own artificial intelligence capabilities to ensure its militaries can’t be “turned off” by foreign adversaries, the CEO of Europe’s leading AI company warned Tuesday.
“We need European AI, if only for defense,” Arthur Mensch, the CEO of French AI darling Mistral, valued at over €11 billion, told an audience of policymakers in Brussels. Artificial intelligence has become as important as nuclear weapons and deterrence, he argued: “If you don’t have artificial intelligence in your systems, you actually don’t have an army.”
Amid increasing recognition of America’s dominance in digital technologies, Mensch warned that Europe’s reliance on foreign technology cannot creep into the defense and military space. He framed the need for Europe to become competitive in the global AI race against an increasingly bleak geopolitical landscape and live wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.
NORTH AMERICA
PC: Trump’s Updated “Special Book”: More Attacks on Digital, Climate, and Health Policies – Melinda St Louis
Earlier this week, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) released the updated 2026 version of this “special book,” and we can now see that this year’s NTE report continues and expands its targeting of critical public interest regulations related to safety in the digital economy, climate policy, environmental protection, public health, and more.
Given the proximity of Big Tech companies to the Trump administration, it was only to be expected that the NTE report would build on the previous year’s attacks on global digital policies. Unfortunately, this year’s report once again labels other countries’ digital ecosystem policies as “trade barriers,” simply because Big Tech companies find them objectionable.
USTR: Press Release Regarding the WTO’s 14th Ministerial Conference
TLDR: The US has a hissy fit because it did’nt get its way at the WTO’s Ministerial Conference.
The World Trade Organization’s (WTO) 14th Ministerial Conference in Yaoundé, Cameroon ended in impasse early this morning, after an agreement among 164 WTO Members to extend the Moratorium on Customs Duties on Electronic Transmissions to December 31, 2030 was blocked by Brazil and Turkey. The WTO’s failure also prevented moving forward with a U.S.-driven reform agenda that all Members endorsed.
“It is particularly frustrating that the WTO could not achieve consensus to make the E-Commerce Moratorium permanent or even to extend it for longer than two years. Unfortunately, and despite revised U.S. offers regarding the duration and format for an extension of the moratorium, two members would rather let it lapse after 28 years than do the right thing for innovation and the digital economy. Fortunately, the United States has secured commitments from dozens of countries—and nearly all of our major trading partners—not to impose tariffs on U.S. digital transmissions. If the WTO cannot achieve this commonsense aim, the United States will work outside of the WTO with all interested partners to get it done. To that end, the United States invites all trading partners to commit to a plurilateral, e-commerce moratorium agreement,” said Ambassador Greer.
IELP: Jamieson Greer on Not Getting Fooled by Discriminatory EU Tech Regulations – Simon Lester
Highlights comments of USTR Jamieson Greer regarding claims of European digital laws discriminating against US companies, and makes the argument that the broad interpretation of “discrimination” being pushed by the U.S. is likely to severely affect domestic sovereignty and the ability to regulate in a number of different sectors.
ElizabethWarren: Warren Presses Trade Ambassador Greer on Trump Admin Special Favors to Advance Big Tech’s Dangerous Deregulatory Agenda
U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) pressed U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Ambassador Jamieson Greer on the Trump administration’s using tariffs to help Big Tech evade regulations that keep users safe — all while these tariffs jack up prices for American families and further decimate the manufacturing industry. The letter follows a recent episode involving Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok, which resulted in the proliferation of millions of dangerous deepfakes, underscoring the danger of Trump’s campaign to advance Big Tech’s deregulatory agenda.
“The countries that took action against Grok—either by immediately cracking down on the app or taking steps to hold the company accountable after the fact—were able to do so because of their robust domestic online safety laws—the very laws that the Trump Administration and USTR have taken aim at in their ‘bilateral’ trade negotiations,” wrote Senator Warren.
Big Tech companies have long lobbied to repeal commonsense tech regulations that protect users from harmful material and ensure that users’ data cannot be taken advantage of. They have found an enthusiastic partner in President Trump.
“The White House’s trade negotiations appear to be focused on securing advantages for the President and his tech billionaire friends, rather than delivering the new manufacturing jobs and balanced trade he promised American families,” wrote Senator Warren.
FoxNews: Europe’s attacks on US tech firms must stop. We have just the way to do it – Steve Forbes
TLDR: Attacks on European digital regulations in the U.S. continue…
“Europe has spent years building a digital regulatory regime that places unique burdens on American technology companies. What it presents as neutral governance to promote so-called European “digital sovereignty” has, in practice, concentrated restrictions on a small group of U.S.-based platforms while leaving domestic competitors largely untouched. And as digital innovation becomes more central to economic and national security, that targeted enforcement has only intensified in scope and scale.
A Section 301 investigation is needed into these practices, to address discriminatory digital regulation. It would allow the United States to formally assess European practices and provide it with important leverage should the United States wish to enter negotiations after completing the process.”
NewYorker: Sam Altman May Control Our Future—Can He Be Trusted? – Ronan Farrow and Andrew Marantz
New interviews and closely guarded documents shed light on the persistent doubts about the head of OpenAI.
OpenAI has since become one of the most valuable companies in the world. It is reportedly preparing for an initial public offering at a potential valuation of a trillion dollars. Altman is driving the construction of a staggering amount of A.I. infrastructure, some of it concentrated within foreign autocracies. OpenAI is securing sweeping government contracts, setting standards for how A.I. is used in immigration enforcement, domestic surveillance, and autonomous weaponry in war zones.
Yet most of the people we spoke to shared the judgment of Sutskever and Amodei: Altman has a relentless will to power that, even among industrialists who put their names on spaceships, sets him apart. “He’s unconstrained by truth,” the board member told us. “He has two traits that are almost never seen in the same person. The first is a strong desire to please people, to be liked in any given interaction. The second is almost a sociopathic lack of concern for the consequences that may come from deceiving someone.”
RethinkTrade: Trump Administration 2026 “National Trade Estimate” Report Designates Other Nations’ Data Security, Privacy, and Other Digital Laws That Are Similar to U.S. Policy as Illegal Trade Barriers
On March 31, 2026, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) published the statutorily required annual National Trade Estimate (NTE) report listing trade-partner countries’ alleged illegal trade barriers.[1] The NTE, which is based in part on policies brought to USTR’s attention through private sector submissions, has been used by corporations and their lobbyists to translate their opposition to other countries’ public interest policies into an official U.S. government designation of such policies as illegal trade barriers.
