U.S. President Joe Biden has issued an executive order that prohibits the mass transfer of citizens’ personal data to countries deemed hostile.
The Executive Order authorizes the Attorney General to prevent the large-scale transfer of Americans’ personal data to countries of concern and provides safeguards around other activities that can give those countries access to Americans’ sensitive data. The government said the countries of concern have a “track record of collecting and misusing data on Americans.”
The President’s Executive Order focuses on Americans’ most personal and sensitive information, including genomic data, biometric data, personal health data, geolocation data, financial data, and certain kinds of personally identifiable information.
Bad actors can use this data to track Americans (including military service members), pry into their personal lives, and pass that data on to other data brokers and foreign intelligence services.
This data can enable intrusive surveillance, scams, blackmail, and other violations of privacy.
Companies are collecting more of Americans’ data than ever before, and it is often legally sold and resold through data brokers.
Commercial data brokers and other companies can sell this data to countries of concern, or entities controlled by those countries, and it can land in the hands of foreign intelligence services, militaries, or companies controlled by foreign governments.
The government said the countries of concern have a “track record of collecting and misusing data on Americans.”
