Big Tech Presses for Expanded Giveaways in Upcoming USMCA Review
WASHINGTON, D.C. — As the mandatory review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) approaches, new analysis of public comments by lobbyists for the tech industry shows that Big Tech is aggressively pushing for even more deregulatory giveaways, despite the agreement already tilting heavily in their favor.
This analysis comes on the heels of a U.S. Trade Representative statement released late yesterday which notes the ongoing debate over so-called “digital trade” rules. The statement does not clarify the administration’s plan for the USMCA negotiation, but it does continue to take aim at a number of digital policies on Big Tech’s hit list.
“It’s not surprising that Big Tech CEOs think they can get Trump to tilt his signature trade agreement even more in their favor,” said Global Trade Watch director Melinda St. Louis. “Trump’s trade agenda has put the tech broligarchs ahead of working people at every turn, and now they want his help in further undermining the ability of governments around the world to put any restraints on their runaway power.”
The submissions of tech industry lobby groups outline key demands, including:
- Preserving the USMCA’s damaging Digital Trade chapter in full, despite evidence that its provisions undermine competition, consumer protection, privacy, and digital rights, and may conflict with existing and proposed U.S. state laws regulating sensitive data exports.
- Hindering regulation of emerging technologies, including transparency and accountability norms for artificial intelligence systems, despite ongoing debates and the lack of regulatory consensus.
- Explicitly banning digital services taxes and other revenue-sharing mechanisms, foreclosing efforts to ensure Big Tech companies pay their fair share of taxes where they operate.
- Further restricting use of anti-monopoly policies under the guise of “non-discrimination” provisions that block stricter rules for dominant platforms, making it harder to address anti-competitive practices and systemic risk in digital markets.
This new analysis of the additional powers Big Tech seeks in the USMCA review follows an earlier Public Citizen analysis of the egregious terms the industry already secured when Trump first negotiated the agreement: Making NAFTA Worse: Giveaways for Big Tech in the USMCA.