February 29, 2024 at 12:09AM
U.S. President Joe Biden’s Executive Order prohibits mass transfer of citizens’ personal data to countries of concern, including sensitive information like genomic, biometric, health, and financial data. The order aims to protect data from being exploited by threat actors and restrict access via commercial agreements. It comes amid concerns about data broker industry practices and involves specific companies such as Chengdu Beizhan Electronics and Sandvine.
Key takeaways from the meeting notes are:
1. U.S. President Joe Biden issued an Executive Order prohibiting the mass transfer of citizens’ personal data to countries of concern, aiming to provide safeguards against unauthorized access and exploitation of Americans’ sensitive data.
2. The order targets sensitive information such as genomic data, biometric data, personal health data, geolocation data, financial data, and personally identifiable information (PII), with emphasis on the potential weaponization of such data by threat actors to track citizens and engage in intrusive surveillance, scams, and other privacy violations.
3. The government expressed concerns about commercial data brokers and companies selling data to countries of concern or entities controlled by them, with the risk of this data ending up in the hands of foreign intelligence services, militaries, or companies controlled by foreign governments.
4. Researchers at Duke University highlighted the ease of obtaining sensitive data about military members, families, veterans, and other individuals from data brokers at low costs, raising privacy, counterintelligence, and national security risks.
5. The Executive Order directs federal agencies to establish clear protections and high-security standards for personal and government-related data, as well as to ensure that federal grants, contracts, and awards do not facilitate access to sensitive data.
6. Senator Ron Wyden criticized the decision to limit personal data flows only to certain countries of concern, asserting that authoritarian dictatorships should not be trusted with Americans’ personal data due to national security and privacy concerns.
7. The U.S. added China’s Chengdu Beizhan Electronics and Canadian network intelligence firm Sandvine to its Entity List due to concerns about the use of their technology for espionage and human rights violations in various countries, including censorship and targeting of political actors and human rights activists.
These takeaways highlight the significance of the Executive Order in addressing the risks associated with the transfer and misuse of Americans’ sensitive data, as well as the broader concerns about the activities of data brokers and technology companies with potential implications for national security and human rights.