Trump's Plan Unveiled: The US Aims to Control Global Citizen Data
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - The Trump administration has issued a new directive that could spark global tensions in the digital sector.
Through an internal diplomatic network dated February 18, 2026, and signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, US diplomats are being asked to lobby other countries not to implement strict rules regarding the management of their citizens’ data by US technology companies.
In the document, the Trump administration promotes a more assertive international data policy and explicitly asks diplomats to oppose regulations that are overly burdensome, such as data sovereignty mandates, which require data to be stored within each country.
Washington believes that data sovereignty rules being implemented by several countries risk disrupting the flow of global data, increasing costs and cybersecurity risks, limiting artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing services, and expanding government control in ways that could undermine civil liberties and enable censorship.
This move comes as a number of countries, especially in Europe, are tightening data protection rules. One of the most influential regulations is the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which restricts the transfer of European citizens’ data outside the region and has imposed large fines on US tech giants.
The dominance of US-based AI companies that rely on massive amounts of data to train AI models is exacerbating European concerns about privacy and potential surveillance. Pressure on US social media and cloud giants has also increased in recent years.
Dutch cloud computing expert Bert Hubert believes that Washington’s approach is now more aggressive.
“Whereas previous administrations tried to woo European customers, the current administration is demanding that Europeans ignore their own data privacy regulations, which could hinder American business,” he said, quoted by CNBC Indonesia from Reuters, Thursday (February 26, 2026).
In addition to highlighting Europe, the cable also mentions China, which is said to be combining attractive technology infrastructure projects with restrictive data policies in order to expand its global influence and access to international data for surveillance and strategic gain.
In recent years, China has indeed tightened regulations related to the storage and transfer of user data by its companies.
The cable, labeled “request for action,” also instructs diplomats to promote the Global Cross-Border Privacy Rules Forum, an international forum established in 2022 by the United States, Mexico, Canada, Australia, Japan, and others to support the free flow of data and effective data protection and privacy globally.
This policy is part of a series of steps taken by the Trump administration to thwart European digital regulations, including opposition to rules requiring digital platforms to remove illegal content.
(fab/fab)