Digital containment: United States Trade Strategy and the Global fight over Technology?Regulation

A. Mulyanyuma

Abstract

Digital platform governance has become a feature of global economic and political?relations. Governments in?many countries are adopting regulations on issues such as competition, taxation, privacy and platform responsibility. The United States is home to most of the leading technology firms and has sought to?use trade policy tools to deter the spread of strict digital regulations—an emerging pattern of digital containment. Drawing on a panel data set of 52 countries over the period?2016–2023, consisting of disaggregated trade investigations, World Trade Organization filings, and platform policy adoption, this research utilizes panel logistic regression, correlation analysis, and network mapping. Results suggest that United States?trade pressure greatly diminishes the chances of foreign adoption of digital regulation, especially in countries highly trade-dependent on the United States. Bigger economies with?strong institutions are immune to such pressure. These?findings emphasize that geopolitics shapes global digital governance, and that trade policy is a strategic tool affecting regulatory outcomes.   Received: 21 March 2026 / Accepted: June 2026 / Published: July 2026

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