The International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations (FIATA) and the Global Shippers Forum (GSF), have jointly issued an agreed Charter for protection and governance of data in international trade.
This sets out the minimum arrangements for data security and confidentiality that providers and operators of digital booking and trading platforms should adopt in their End-User Agreements (EUAs).
Recommendations in the Charter seek to enable a safe and trustworthy environment for conducting business based on a level playing field, according to FIATA.
The Charter has been approved by members of both organisations and is believed by FIATA to be the first declaration of rights for platform users in the trade and logistics sector.
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“FIATA is committed to enabling the shift of trade from analogue to digital form to increase efficiency and resilience of global supply chains,” said Dr. Stéphane Graber, Director General of FIATA.
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James Hookham, Secretary General of GSF, said: “Digitalisation of international trade and transport paperwork offers huge savings and benefits for all parties in the supply chain, but its storage and processing comes with risks of loss, leakage and unauthorised use that could expose commercially sensitive patterns and trends.”
“Our Charter sets out reasonable expectations of the protections that should be in place to respect the ownership of the data, protect its confidentiality and guard against unauthorised access and use,” Hookham added.
This announcement comes more than a year after FIATA and International Cargo Handling Coordination Association (ICHCA) renewed their digitalisation partnership.
More recently, the Bureau International des Containers (BIC) and FIATA joined the original five partners of the Cargo Integrity Group.
The Cargo Integrity Group aims to improve safety, security, and environmental performance throughout the logistics supply chain.
