The Growth of Data Localization Post-Snowden

Analysis and Recommendations for U.S. Policymakers and Industry Leaders

Over the course of recent decades, and principally since the commercialization of the Internet in the early 1990s, governments around the world have struggled to address the wide range of logistical, privacy, and security challenges presented by the rapid growth and diversification of digital data. The mounting online theft of intellectual property, the growth of sophisticated malware, and the challenges involved in regulating the flow, storage, and analysis of data have all—to varying degrees—increasingly challenged governments’ ability to respond with effective policy.

In the latest installment of the Lawfare Research Paper Series, Jonah Force Hill—a technology and international affairs consultant—takes a look at data localization laws. The paper is entitled “The Growth of Data Localization Post-Snowden: Analysis and Recommendations for U.S. Policymakers and Industry Leaders."