Security risks and regulation of cross-border e-commerce in digital economy

Purpose “Security risks and regulation of cross-border e-commerce in digital economy” examines the key security threats – data breaches, payment fraud, logistics disruptions, product compliance and Internet Protocol protection – and develops a multi-layered governance framework to support platform operations and policymaking in the digital economy. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on the Web of Science Core Collection, we searched for literature published between January 2020 and October 2024 using keywords such as “cross-border e-commerce,” “global digital economy,” “data security risk,” “cross-border e-commerce data protection” and “cross-border data privacy regulation,” yielding 5,097 initial records. Using the ASReview active-learning tool, we screened out irrelevant studies (terminated after 20 consecutive irrelevant labels) to retain 226 high-relevance publications. We then applied CiteSpace for keyword co-occurrence and clustering analyses and conducted comparative case studies across five countries, supplemented by in-depth interviews with ten industry experts, forming a two-phase mixed qualitative and quantitative research design. Findings The study identifies significant security risks in cross-border e-commerce, including data breaches, payment fraud, logistics disruptions, product compliance issues and intellectual property challenges. Current regulatory frameworks help mitigate these risks but face hurdles in cross-border harmonization, technology deployment and operational consistency. Originality/value Integrating technical (blockchain and real-time artificial intelligence (AI) monitoring), legal (Standard Contractual Clauses and Data Protection Impact Assessments) and operational (multi-regional logistics and merchant vetting) dimensions, this paper proposes innovative measures – including unified data-sharing platforms and intelligent compliance modules – and advances a forward-looking framework incorporating generative AI and decentralized digital identity systems, offering concrete guidance for policymakers, regulators and practitioners.