WASHINGTON: President Joe Biden’s administration unveiled an executive order on Wednesday aimed at protecting American personal data by limiting its transfer to China, Russia and other countries, senior US officials said, citing national security concerns.
The order, first reported by Reuters, will limit bulk transfers of Americans’ geolocation, biometric, health and financial information by data brokers and others to specific “countries of interest,” officials said.
They also added that it would prohibit the transfer of any volume of data on US government employees to such countries, which also include Iran, North Korea, Cuba and Venezuela.
“China and Russia are purchasing US sensitive personal data from data brokers” and using it to “engage in a variety of nefarious activities, including malicious cyber activities, espionage and blackmail,” the officials said.
“Purchasing data through data brokers is currently legal in the United States. This reflects a gap in our national security kit,” they added, adding that Wednesday’s order was meant to fill that gap.
The order is Washington’s latest bid to stem the flow of American data to China, which is locked in a years-long trade and technology war with the United States.
The US Congress is considering legislation that would bar federal agencies from contracting with China’s BGI Group and Wuxi APPTEC, part of an effort to prevent China from accessing US genetic data and personal health information.
