Map: Big Tech Expands Global Assault on Digital Rules
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Buoyed by their success in shaping Trump administration trade policy to their benefit in the past year, Big Tech companies are dramatically expanding their hit list to undermine digital regulations around the world, according to a new interactive map released today by Public Citizen.
Public Citizen previously documented how major technology companies and their lobby groups shaped President Trump’s tariff negotiations, placing more than 100 digital policies across over 45 jurisdictions in the crosshairs of U.S. trade pressure. Now, emboldened by a Trump administration that has consistently carried water for them in 2025, Big Tech is escalating its demands.
The National Trade Estimates (NTE) Report, published annually to identify alleged “non-tariff trade barriers,” has been used in practice to target public-interest laws as obstacles to trade at the behest of corporate interests. After reviewing comments submitted by technology industry trade associations to the USTR’s public comment process leading up to the release of the 2026 NTE Report, the findings show an aggressive push to weaponize tariffs and trade policy against domestic digital regulations worldwide.
“This new map adds to the mountain of evidence proving that Trump’s trade policies are not about helping working people, as he claims, but are all about lining the pockets of Trump’s Big Tech benefactors,” said Melinda St. Louis, Global Trade Watch director.
Big Tech is now lobbying against hundreds of digital regulations in more than 60 jurisdictions worldwide, spanning every region — from Argentina to Zimbabwe. The policies under attack include:
- Artificial intelligence regulations, including safeguards governing high-risk uses such as real-time biometric surveillance;
- Data protection and privacy laws designed to prevent the exploitation of personal data; and
- Competition and antitrust rules aimed at curbing monopolistic practices and promoting innovation in the digital economy.
As the Trump administration prepares the 2026 NTE Report, a growing reality presents itself: U.S. trade policy is increasingly being weaponized to advance Big Tech’s deregulatory agenda at the expense of consumer protection, democratic governance, and the public interest worldwide.