Cybersecurity in International Trade Agreements
Cybersecurity is inherently important to international trade as the global economy increasingly relies on the internet to conduct business across borders.
CR2 is committed to promoting best-in-class approaches to cybersecurity risk management. As part of this commitment, our whitepaper “Guarding Global Commerce” conducts an analysis of international free trade agreements (FTA) to date, and - specifically - the extent to which they include commitments to certain cybersecurity principles and practices. 
Analysis
For each of the 11 trade agreements, we categorized and assessed the various cybersecurity components that have appeared or been proposed in negotiations, whether each agreement incorporates each component, and what language it uses to do so. The identified cyber components range from establishing a basic connection between cybersecurity and trade all the way to agreeing to accept mutual recognition of cybersecurity baselines.
While there is some variation in how cybersecurity is addressed in the trade agreements, many components are consistent across agreements involving countries from different regions and different stages of development. The general trend over time has been towards incorporating more components into each trade agreement.
The importance of cybersecurity in trade agreements cannot be understated. Digital trade agreements provide an opportunity for the collaborative championing of human rights and a model for digital governance grounded in the principles of a free, fair, and open internet. Moving forward, international trade agreements should continue to prioritize robust cybersecurity provisions in order to secure the digital economy and to protect consumers against increasing cyber threats.