Data security among agenda in TICFA meeting

The United States Trade Representative (USTR) wants to ensure cross-border data security for US-based tech giants like Google, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at the upcoming meeting of the Bangladesh-US Trade and Investment Cooperation Forum Agreement (TICFA).

The key issues at the meeting include cross-border data security, labour issues in Bangladesh, cotton imports and intellectual property rights.

Tapan Kanti Ghosh, Senior Secretary of Commerce Ministry will attend the meeting to be held in the first week of December in Washington.

Hafizur Rahman, Additional Secretary and Head of WTO Cell of Commerce Ministry said that an eight-member delegation has been recently formed for TICFA under the commerce ministry through an online meeting.

According to commerce ministry sources, the delegation, led by Tapan Kanti Ghosh, includes commerce, labour and agriculture secretaries.

Before the delegation leaves, a meeting will be held on November 15 at the commerce ministry auditorium to have detailed discussions on the fixed agenda.

The head of the WTO Cell said, “US companies conduct business by analysing data on the behaviour of people in different countries. In the same way, they want data from the people of Bangladesh to analyse and conduct business with it.”

Every country ensures the protection of their data. India has already enacted a law to protect its data. So they refuse to provide their information to US companies like Google, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.