UK and US seek to develop deeper data-sharing partnership

Nations want to collaborate on the creation of next-gen tools that shape new global rules on data use

Officials from the UK and USA have announced a new agreement that will see both nations develop deeper cross-border data sharing partnership.

In a joint statement released from the Summit for Democracy, the UK Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) Nadine Dorries and the US Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo said that the two nations are committed to promote the 'trustworthy use and exchange of data across borders' to help achieve 'a more peaceful and prosperous future '.

UK International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan was also part of the British delegation that discussed issues such as cross border data flows, supply chains and tariffs with the US officials.

The joint statement says the two nations want to collaborate on the creation of next-gen tools that shape new global rules on data use.

They also signalled an intent to create a regime that 'promotes and advances interoperability between different data protection frameworks, facilitating cross-border data flows while maintaining high standards of data protection and trust.'

'The UK and the US can play a key role in shaping a global data ecosystem capable of addressing the challenges of today and tomorrow by designing and delivering tools for the 21st century,' the joint statement reads.

'We welcome significant progress made by our respective teams to support, stabilise and realise the benefits of bilateral data flows, and we are committed to achieving a successful and enduring partnership, including on adequacy.'

The pair said they also want to work together on the global challenges and opportunities, and with like-minded partners to build trust in the ways their governments access information for the purposes of national security, public safety, and law enforcement investigations.

Both parties acknowledged there are multiple challenges associated with creating a data-sharing partnership that allows free-flowing of data across the Atlantic while adhering to different data protection laws in two countries.

Discussions on a cross-border data-sharing agreement between the US and UK have been taking place for many years.

Earlier this year, Digital Secretary Oliver Dowden said that Britain needs to take a "slightly less European approach" on data privacy, and should focus more on the results that "we want to have" following the country's exit from the European Union.

The impetus behind these suggestions was to make it easier to make trade deals with nations such as the US, India and China which have less stringent data protection rules.

Dowden said that under the current regime, many organisations and businesses are unwilling to use data, either because "they don't understand the rules or are afraid of inadvertently breaking them".

The minister added that there was no need to copy and paste the EU's rulebook while drafting rules for Britain, and the focus should also on the use of data for "economic and social goals".

In August, the EU Commission warned that it would closely monitor any changes to the UK's data rules, and would cancel its data-sharing agreement with London if new rules are found to pose a threat to the privacy of EU citizens.