US IT Industry Also Concerned About Commerce Department's Semiconductor Data Requests... "Proper Information Protection Must Come First" (Comprehensive)

ITI Conveys Industry Concerns to U.S. Commerce Department
"Other Governments May Also Enforce Similar Data Submission"

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The Information Technology Industry Council (ITI), a consortium of international information technology (IT) companies, has warned the U.S. Department of Commerce that the recent demand for semiconductor companies to submit supply chain data could excessively infringe on corporate activities. While the measure’s effectiveness in understanding the semiconductor supply chain status is significantly limited, it could also provide justification for countries other than the U.S. to impose similar data submission requirements.

According to Bloomberg on the 10th (local time), ITI expressed concerns in a letter submitted to the U.S. Department of Commerce on the 8th regarding the demand for semiconductor companies to submit supply chain data. ITI stated, "We understand the Department of Commerce’s eagerness to obtain foundational data to resolve semiconductor supply chain issues, but this kind of data submission will not be particularly helpful," adding, "Since semiconductor supply chain issues are constantly changing, even if data is requested and received, it is unlikely to be of much assistance."

They continued, "Following the U.S. example may encourage other governments to force the semiconductor industry to share similar data," and "This method of information collection excessively infringes on corporate activities while offering little utility, so we recommend using alternative approaches."

ITI emphasized that the corporate information collected by the Department of Commerce is sensitive confidential information and must first be guaranteed strong information protection. ITI pointed out, "Since these are sensitive data related to ongoing contracts that could potentially be disrupted, the Department of Commerce must handle them with strict anonymity," adding, "Uncertainty about how this data is used and who has access, along with unclear messages from the U.S. government on this matter, is increasing concerns within the industry."

Meanwhile, ITI is a consortium that includes the world’s top three semiconductor manufacturers?Intel, Samsung Electronics, and TSMC?as well as global IT companies such as Apple, Amazon, and Twitter. The submission of this recommendation is known to convey the concerns of the entire IT industry.