China is Winning the Battle for Digital Sovereignty Using Your Data

December 15, 2022

Podcast Deep Dish on Global Affairs Podcast

How have online platforms, and lax US regulation, facilitated the flow of data from the US to China – and what does this mean for the geopolitical contest between these superpowers?

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About the Episode

As digital technologies and social media have evolved to dominate our everyday lives, governments and businesses – at home and abroad - have been able to collect vast troves of our personal information. On Deep Dish, author Aynne Kokas explains why China has been so effective at collecting and “trafficking” the data of United States and other foreign citizens, and how this data could give them a geopolitical advantage. Plus, we hear from data privacy attorneys on the state of regulation protecting user data.

Reading List

Trafficking Data: How China Is Winning the Battle for Digital Sovereignty, Aynne Kokas, November 1, 2022, Oxford University Press

About the Experts

Aynne Kokas

Associate Professor, Media Studies and C.K. Yen Chair, The Miller Center, University of Virginia

Aynne Kokas is the C.K. Yen Chair at the Miller Center and an associate professor of media studies at the University of Virginia. Kokas’ research examines Sino-US media and technology relations. She is the author of two books, "Trafficking Data: How China is Winning the Battle for Digital Sovereignty" and an award-winning first book "Hollywood Made in China".

Brian Hanson

Vice President, Studies

Brian Hanson is the Vice President of Studies at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. He oversees the Council's research operations and hosts the Council's weekly podcast, Deep Dish on Global Affairs.

Other Contributors

Alan Butler

Executive Director and President, Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC)

Alan Butler is an attorney and the executive director and president of the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC). He is based in Washington, DC.

Cindy Cohn

Executive Director, Electronic Frontier Foundation

Cindy Cohn is a civil liberties attorney specializing in Internet law and is the executive director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation. She is based in San Francisco, California.

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