Digital safety principles of G7

Digital safety principles of G7

Part of: Prelims and GS II – International Relations 

Context G7 nations recently agreed on a joint set of principles to govern cross-border data use and digital trade. 

• The deal sets out a middle ground between highly regulated data protection regimes used in European countries and the more open approach of the United States.

Key provisions of the G7 Digital Trade Principles

• Open Digital Markets: Digital and telecommunications markets should be competitive, transparent, fair, and accessible.
• Cross Border Data Flows: To harness the opportunities of the digital economy, data should be able to flow freely across borders with trust
• Safeguards for Workers, Consumers and Businesses: Labour protections must be in place for workers who are directly engaged in or support digital trade. 
• Digital Trading Systems: To cut red tape and enable more businesses to trade, governments and industries should drive forward the digitisation of trade-related documents. 
• Fair and Inclusive Global Governance: Common rules for digital trade should be agreed upon and upheld at the World Trade Organization (WTO). 
• Data Encryption: Businesses should not be required or coerced to transfer technology or provide access to source code or encryption keys as a condition of market access.

About G7

• G7 stands for “Group of Seven” industrialized nations. 
• It used to be known as the G8 (Group of Eight) until 2014 when Russia was excluded because of its annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.
• Countries: United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, Japan, France and Italy. 
• The G7 does not have a formal constitution or a fixed headquarters.
• It is an informal bloc and The decisions taken by leaders during annual summits are non-binding.
• Generally every member country hosts the summit once every 7 years