Putting consumer interests at the heart of the EU’s global digital leadership

Every day, EU consumers shop and engage with services online, including those provided by non-EU companies. However, engaging with these companies can expose them to a range of risks, including unlawful personal data processing and transfers and unfair AI systems for consumer use. Recent EU trade agreements have begun to address this issue through digital trade provisions or standalone Digital Trade Agreements, which is a positive development. However, the EU is also including other rules in its trade agreements on cross-border data flows and access to source code, which could undermine consumer privacy and limit regulatory oversight of algorithmic systems.