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What Are We Talking about When We Talk about Digital Protectionism?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 August 2018

SUSAN ARIEL AARONSON Open the ORCID record for SUSAN ARIEL AARONSON [Opens in a new window]
SUSAN ARIEL AARONSON*
Affiliation:
Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University, USA
*
*Email: saaronso@gwu.edu
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Abstract

For almost a decade, executives, scholars, and trade diplomats have argued that filtering, censorship, localization requirements, and domestic regulations are distorting the cross-border information flows that underpin the internet. Herein I use process tracing to examine the state and implications of digital protectionism. I make five points: First, I note that digital protectionism differs from protectionism of goods and other services. Information is intangible, highly tradable, and some information is a public good. Secondly, I argue that it will not be easy to set international rules to limit digital protectionism without shared norms and definitions. Thirdly, the US, EU, and Canada have labeled other countries policies’ protectionist, yet their arguments and actions sometimes appear hypocritical. Fourth, I discuss the challenge of Chinese failure to follow key internet governance norms. China allegedly has used a wide range of cyber strategies, including distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks (bombarding a web site with service requests) to censor information flows and impede online market access beyond its borders. WTO members have yet to discuss this issue and the threat it poses to trade norms and rules. Finally, I note that digital protectionism may be self-defeating. I then draw conclusions and make policy recommendations.

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Type
Research Article
Information
World Trade Review , Volume 18 , Issue 4 , October 2019 , pp. 541 - 577
Copyright
Copyright © Susan Ariel Aaronson 2018 

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Footnotes

The project benefited from funding from the Economic Research Institute of Asia.

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