Once the domain of teenage dancers, pranksters, and aspiring influencers, TikTok has become a lightning rod in disputes among global powers. The Chinese video app is in the crosshairs of policymakers whose options to move against Beijing are limited.

Law enforcement argues that “warrant-proof” encryption presents a unique and urgent threat by preventing them from accessing user data. But history shows that government efforts to subvert encryption would negatively impact individuals and businesses. As such, banning the technology is not the answer.

As the European Commission led by Ursula von der Leyen pushes deeper into its five-year work programme, the Lisbon Council convened the High-Level Roundtable on Public Data-Analytics: Delivering Essential Services in Troubling Times. The reports form part of the Data Analytics for Member States and Citizens, a forthcoming study that analyses cutting-edge applications of public data-analytics in Europe and beyond and looks into how to scale up data driven public services across Europe. The studies presented at the roundtable are available on the European Commission’s Join Up platform, where leading thinkers, stakeholders and informed citizens can read the latest research and contribute new ideas to the European data strategy and the emerging Data Analytics for Member States and Citizens study. Visit the new site at https://joinup.ec.europa.eu/collection/study-data-analytics-member-state....

In June 2020, the United States Trade Representative’s office initiated a Section 301 investigation into digital services taxes (DSTs) that have been adopted or are being considered by a number of foreign governments. This article offers a brief analysis of the benefits and drawbacks of DSTs.