<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333015441895px; color: blue;" class=""><font color="#0563c1" class=""><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/05/18/big-tech-rivals-enter-fight-over-us-digital-trade/" class="">https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/05/18/big-tech-rivals-enter-fight-over-us-digital-trade/</a></font></span></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><b style="font-size: 11pt;" class=""><span style="font-size: 18pt; font-family: Garamond, serif; color: rgb(17, 17, 17);" class="">Big Tech rivals enter fight over U.S. digital trade</span></b></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class="">Analysis by <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/cristiano-lima/?itid=ai_top_limac" style="color: rgb(5, 99, 193);" class=""><span style="color: blue;" class="">Cristiano Lima</span></a><o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: "var(--wpds-fonts-subhead)", serif;" class="">May 18, 2023 at 9:05 a.m. EDT</span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class=""> </span></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: "var(--wpds-fonts-subhead)", serif;" class=""> </span></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: "var(--wpds-fonts-body)", serif;" class="">A coalition of technology companies are calling out efforts by the tech giants to shape the United States’ stance on digital trade, joining a growing cast of lawmakers and advocacy groups taking aim at Big Tech’s role in the Indo-Pacific negotiations. <o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: "var(--wpds-fonts-body)", serif;" class=""> </span></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: "var(--wpds-fonts-body)", serif;" class="">On Tuesday, companies including email provider Proton, review site Yelp and pricing service Kelkoo <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/documents/9ee18cda-efb8-44ac-a84d-b53b48534a91.pdf?itid=lk_inline_manual_6" style="color: rgb(5, 99, 193);" class=""><span style="color: rgb(42, 42, 42);" class="">wrote to the Biden administration</span></a> expressing concern that Big Tech companies are trying to “block policies that would prohibit their anticompetitive practices” through trade talks. <o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: "var(--wpds-fonts-body)", serif;" class=""> </span></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: "var(--wpds-fonts-body)", serif;" class="">And on Thursday, they are <a href="https://proton.me/blog/big-tech-ipef" style="color: rgb(5, 99, 193);" class=""><span style="color: rgb(42, 42, 42);" class="">kicking off a public campaign</span></a> urging public officials to reject what they call attempts by their Silicon Valley rivals to “overrule democratically passed anti-monopoly laws.”<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: "var(--wpds-fonts-body)", serif;" class=""> </span></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: "var(--wpds-fonts-body)", serif;" class="">They become the latest entrants to the increasingly contentious debate over digital trade, which has emerged as a proxy battle in broader global efforts to rein in giants like Amazon, Google, Apple and Meta. <o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: "var(--wpds-fonts-body)", serif;" class=""> </span></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: "var(--wpds-fonts-body)", serif;" class="">U.S. negotiators for months have been seeking to hash out trade terms with 13 other countries including Japan, North Korea and Australia, one of the first major tests of the administration’s approach to issues including digital trade policy.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: "var(--wpds-fonts-body)", serif;" class=""> </span></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: "var(--wpds-fonts-body)", serif;" class="">The companies took issue with what they called a “lack of transparency” around the talks, writing in their letter to the Commerce Department and U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) that it “has allowed the views of a few digital firms to dominate while the small and medium tech firms that are the backbone of the industry have been largely excluded from the process.”<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: "var(--wpds-fonts-body)", serif;" class=""> </span></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: "var(--wpds-fonts-body)", serif;" class="">Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle and a slew of consumer advocacy groups have echoed the concerns in recent weeks: <o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: "var(--wpds-fonts-body)", serif;" class=""> </span></div><div style="margin: 0in 23.75pt 0.0001pt 59.75pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;" class=""><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Symbol; color: rgb(42, 42, 42);" class="">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class=""> </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(42, 42, 42);" class="">A group of Democratic lawmakers led by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/documents/1c8ae425-392a-49bf-afe1-d3d0ff0e8601.pdf?itid=lk_inline_manual_7&itid=lk_inline_manual_16" style="color: rgb(5, 99, 193);" class=""><span style="color: rgb(42, 42, 42);" class="">wrote to USTR and Commerce</span></a> last month voicing concern over industry efforts to “weaponize these digital trade rules” to fend off tech regulations globally, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/04/24/big-tech-trying-weaponize-us-trade-talks-democrats-warn/?itid=lk_inline_manual_16" style="color: rgb(5, 99, 193);" class=""><span style="color: rgb(42, 42, 42);" class="">as we wrote</span></a>.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 23.75pt 0.0001pt 59.75pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(42, 42, 42);" class=""> </span></div><div style="margin: 0in 23.75pt 0.0001pt 59.75pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;" class=""><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Symbol; color: rgb(42, 42, 42);" class="">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class=""> </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(42, 42, 42);" class="">A group of Republican lawmakers <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-05-04/gop-lawmakers-urge-denial-of-tech-lobby-indo-pacific-trade-input" style="color: rgb(5, 99, 193);" class=""><span style="color: rgb(42, 42, 42);" class="">sent a similar letter</span></a> this month urging the Biden administration not to adopt in its Indo-Pacific trade talks a proposal “that binds the United States to competition policies that Congress may soon reject,” <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-05-04/gop-lawmakers-urge-denial-of-tech-lobby-indo-pacific-trade-input" style="color: rgb(5, 99, 193);" class=""><span style="color: rgb(42, 42, 42);" class="">as Bloomberg News reported</span></a>.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 23.75pt 0.0001pt 59.75pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(42, 42, 42);" class=""> </span></div><div style="margin: 0in 23.75pt 0.0001pt 59.75pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;" class=""><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Symbol; color: rgb(42, 42, 42);" class="">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class=""> </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(42, 42, 42);" class="">A coalition of consumer advocacy groups in March called on Commerce and USTR “not to replicate the Big-Tech-favored terms,” <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/03/15/advocates-urge-us-not-offer-big-tech-favored-terms-trade-talks/?itid=lk_inline_manual_18" style="color: rgb(5, 99, 193);" class=""><span style="color: rgb(42, 42, 42);" class="">as we wrote</span></a>.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(42, 42, 42);" class=""> </span></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: "var(--wpds-fonts-body)", serif;" class="">The issue has now mobilized many of the same lawmakers, advocates and smaller tech companies — including Proton and Yelp — that rallied unsuccessfully last Congress to pass major antitrust legislation targeting the tech giants.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: "var(--wpds-fonts-body)", serif;" class=""> </span></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: "var(--wpds-fonts-body)", serif;" class="">USTR spokesman Sam Michel said in a statement that their Indo-Pacific trade framework “includes high-standard provisions designed to promote inclusive, sustainable growth in the digital economy, including online consumer protections.” <o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: "var(--wpds-fonts-body)", serif;" class=""> </span></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: "var(--wpds-fonts-body)", serif;" class="">“Ambassador Tai has always said we need to expand the policymaking conversation to include diverse perspectives, not just those that can afford Washington lobbyists,” Michel said, adding that the agency has held numerous briefings with lawmakers and outside groups. <o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: "var(--wpds-fonts-body)", serif;" class=""> </span></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: "var(--wpds-fonts-body)", serif;" class="">The Commerce Department referred an inquiry on the latest letter to USTR.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: "var(--wpds-fonts-body)", serif;" class=""> </span></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: "var(--wpds-fonts-body)", serif;" class="">Tech industry groups representing some of the industry’s biggest companies have called on the administration to ensure their digital trade policies address potential economic barriers for American tech companies overseas. <o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: "var(--wpds-fonts-body)", serif;" class=""> </span></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: "var(--wpds-fonts-body)", serif;" class="">Jonathan McHale</span><span style="font-family: "var(--wpds-fonts-body)", serif;" class="">, vice president of digital trade for the Computer & Communications Industry Association trade group, <a href="https://ccianet.org/news/2023/03/ccia-corrects-the-record-on-digital-trade-rules-ahead-of-ipef-negotiating-round/" style="color: rgb(5, 99, 193);" class=""><span style="color: rgb(42, 42, 42);" class="">said in a March statement</span></a> that the talks should “prioritize developing enforceable rules that can counter trade-distortive practices, rather than embracing perceived fears of digitalization in general to justify new trade restrictions.” <o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: "var(--wpds-fonts-body)", serif;" class=""> </span></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: "var(--wpds-fonts-body)", serif;" class="">The group counts Amazon, Apple, Google and Meta as members, among other companies. (Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.) <o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: "var(--wpds-fonts-body)", serif;" class=""> </span></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: "var(--wpds-fonts-body)", serif;" class="">While critics are calling out the role of the tech giants in the trade process, some business groups have taken the opposite tact, targeting what they called efforts by Big Tech antagonists within the administration to shape the negotiations.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: "var(--wpds-fonts-body)", serif;" class=""> </span></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: "var(--wpds-fonts-body)", serif;" class="">“Digital trade provisions ensure that foreign governments do not erect trade barriers that exclude American workers and businesses that rely on data flows to deliver products and services,” the Chamber of Commerce <a href="https://www.uschamber.com/international/chamber-letter-to-white-house-calling-for-greater-oversight-of-ftc-and-doj" style="color: rgb(5, 99, 193);" class=""><span style="color: rgb(42, 42, 42);" class="">wrote in a recent letter</span></a> to the White House.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: "var(--wpds-fonts-body)", serif;" class=""> </span></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: "var(--wpds-fonts-body)", serif;" class="">Christine Bannan</span><span style="font-family: "var(--wpds-fonts-body)", serif;" class="">, U.S. public policy manager for Proton, said that argument runs counter to the very aim of the trade negotiations. <o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: "var(--wpds-fonts-body)", serif;" class=""> </span></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: "var(--wpds-fonts-body)", serif;" class="">“Protectionism fundamentally is against free trade, and negotiating agreements to protect national companies at the detriment of others … just is not consistent with the … stated purpose of free trade,” she said in an interview Wednesday.</span></div></body></html>