Member Article

The movement of information across national borders drives today’s global economy. Cross-border data transfers allow businesses and consumers access to the best available technology and services, wherever those resources may be located around the world. The free-flow of data across borders benefits all industry sectors, from manufacturing to financial services, education, health care and beyond. The seamless transfer of information is as critically important as it is inexorably linked to the growth and success of the global economy.

To function in the international marketplace, businesses need reliable, continuous access to data, wherever they are located. Routine business activities, such as providing goods and services to customers, managing a global workforce, and maintaining supply chains, require the transfer of data among corporate locations and to service providers, customers, and others situated around the world. In addition, as the Internet has facilitated the growth and success of micro-multinationals, these small businesses now have access to billions of potential customers beyond their borders and are able to compete based on the quality of their offerings, unconstrained by geographic limitations. 

Despite the myriad benefits of allowing data to flow freely between countries, some governments continue to push for restrictions on cross-border data transfers. This limits the ability of companies to process, store, and access information on a global basis, and impedes end users from being able to choose the best available technologies and access information regardless of location. 

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