Trump Pushes to Limit Facebook and Google’s Liability in Nafta
- U.S. wants to enshrine protection for internet giants in deal
- Canada, Mexico are said to balk at measures in trade talks
The Trump administration is pushing to add legal protections in Nafta that would limit the liability of internet giants such as Google and Facebook, marking the latest in a tug-of-war as policy makers balance policing the web with protecting free speech.
U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer included the proposal in an updated U.S. wish-list for the North American Free Trade Agreement published during the fifth round of negotiations, which ended Tuesday. It comes as U.S. senators are advancing a bill, backed by President Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump and Facebook Inc.’s Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg, that eliminates liability protections for websites that knowingly facilitate online sex trafficking. Some other tech companies and advocates have argued such legislation threatens to undermine their industry.