Policies Shaping the Digital Economy

Chosen theme: Policies Shaping the Digital Economy. Explore how rules on privacy, competition, AI, trade, and security are rewriting digital value creation. Join our community, share your perspective, and subscribe for grounded analysis and practical takeaways.

Why Policy Choices Matter for Digital Markets

Clear, stable policy signals reduce uncertainty, unlock investment, and guide product strategy. Regulatory sandboxes, public procurement, and standards shape scale pathways for startups. Tell us: which policy reform would most accelerate responsible growth in your sector this year?

Why Policy Choices Matter for Digital Markets

When GDPR arrived, firms reengineered consent, data retention, and vendor contracts. The EU’s DMA now reshapes app store rules and self-preferencing, while India’s DPDP Act reframes obligations for localization and consent. What adjustments has your team made, and what surprised you most?

Data Governance and Privacy Frameworks

Organizations navigate GDPR, CPRA, Brazil’s LGPD, South Africa’s POPIA, Canada’s PIPEDA, and beyond. Harmonizing controls across these regimes requires robust data mapping, minimization, and vendor diligence. Share your playbook for balancing global consistency with local nuance.

Data Governance and Privacy Frameworks

Some jurisdictions push localization to manage risk, while frameworks like APEC CBPRs and DEPA support trusted cross-border transfers. Each choice affects resilience, latency, and costs. How do you evaluate trade-offs between compliance, performance, and user promises?

Competition Policy and App Store Economics

Interoperability and Switching

Mandates for interoperability and data portability lower switching costs and spur competition. Think DMA requirements, open banking under PSD2, and mobility data standards. Where would interoperability most unlock value for your users or partners today?

Fees, Steering, and Alternative Payments

Around the world, cases question app store fees, anti-steering clauses, and in-app payment restrictions. Korea and the Netherlands offer early lessons. Have you experimented with web payments or alternative billing, and what did conversion look like?

A Founder’s Story

A fitness startup in Warsaw cut costs by adopting web payments after new rules relaxed restrictions. Savings funded an accessibility overhaul that grew retention and goodwill. Which policy change would let you reinvest most meaningfully in user experience?

Risk-Based Rules without Freezing Progress

Proportional, outcome-focused oversight—paired with regulatory sandboxes—can encourage experimentation while protecting people. Clarity on high-risk use cases and documentation expectations helps teams plan. What guidance would best align your roadmap with responsible AI practice?

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Transparency, Explainability, and Fairness

Model cards, impact assessments, bias audits, and clear user disclosures build accountability. One retailer avoided reputational damage after an audit surfaced skewed recommendations in time to recalibrate. How are you measuring and communicating model risk today?

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Global Convergence or Splintering?

NIST’s AI RMF, ISO standards, and the EU AI Act may converge—or fragment—compliance. Export controls and foundation model rules add complexity. Tell us where alignment matters most for you: documentation, evaluations, or incident reporting?

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Digital Trade, Tax, and Cross-Border Rules

E-Invoicing and Fair Taxation

OECD Pillar Two, digital services taxes, and e-invoicing mandates change accounting systems and pricing. Early adopters reduced reconciliation time and improved forecasting. What tools helped your team stay compliant without slowing sales cycles?

Customs, Data, and SMEs

De minimis thresholds, paperless customs, and trusted trader programs can make or break small exporters. Cross-border data rules add operational complexity. Share a tip that helped you simplify shipping, tax, or data transfer for new markets.

Standards as Trade Policy

Security certifications and cloud standards often function as market access requirements. Aligning with baseline frameworks can open doors. Which certification or assurance report created the biggest credibility boost with enterprise buyers?

Platform Responsibility and Online Safety

Safety by Design

Age-appropriate design codes, friction for risky actions, and trustworthy defaults reduce harm without over-policing speech. Teams that embed safety early avoid costly retrofits. What design nudge most effectively improved user well-being on your product?

Notice, Appeal, and Due Process

Clear notices, meaningful appeals, and consistent enforcement strengthen legitimacy. The EU’s DSA codifies many of these expectations. How are you tracking policy enforcement outcomes to ensure fairness and transparency over time?

Researcher Access and Auditing

Structured data access for vetted researchers can illuminate systemic risks while protecting privacy. Pilot programs show promise when guardrails are strong. Would you support standardized APIs for research access, and what safeguards would you require?

Inclusion, Infrastructure, and Digital Public Goods

Targeted subsidies, open-access fiber, and spectrum reform can connect underserved communities. LEO satellites are changing remote access economics. Where should investment flow first in your region: last-mile, community Wi‑Fi, or shared backhaul?

Inclusion, Infrastructure, and Digital Public Goods

Digital ID systems like eIDAS and Aadhaar show both the promise and pitfalls of scale. Strong governance and privacy protections are essential. What trust mechanisms would make you comfortable adopting wallet-based credentials?

Inclusion, Infrastructure, and Digital Public Goods

Shared building blocks—payments rails, registries, and messaging standards—lower barriers for innovators and governments. An open e-invoicing toolkit saved one city months of procurement. Which public digital good would most accelerate your roadmap?

Cybersecurity Policy and Resilience

Standards like NIS2, SBOM requirements, and secure-by-default expectations create consistent baselines. They also reward vendors that invest early. Which baseline control delivered the largest risk reduction for your environment this year?

Cybersecurity Policy and Resilience

Time-bound reporting and sector coordination turn incidents into lessons. Organizations that rehearse disclosures handle crises with more confidence. How are you preparing playbooks to meet 72-hour obligations without compromising investigations?