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US issues executive order to keep Americans’ sensitive personal data safe from ‘countries of concern’
- Unprecedented directive focuses on tackling the legal means by which foreign adversaries gain access, such as obtaining information via data brokers
- Countries like China and Russia ‘are leveraging their access to Americans’ bulk sensitive personal data and government-related data’, official says
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Bochen Hanin Washington
In what could be a fresh salvo in the US-China tech war, the White House issued an executive order on Wednesday meant to prevent “countries of concern” such as China and Russia from accessing high volumes of sensitive personal data about Americans and people connected to the US government.
According to senior administration officials, the order sets forth new restrictions on transactions of genomic data, biometric data, personal health data, geolocation data, financial data, government-related data and certain personal identifiers – information that, if obtained by certain countries, could threaten American national security.
“Our adversaries increasingly view data as a strategic resource,” said a senior administration official.
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Countries such as China and Russia “are leveraging their access to Americans’ bulk sensitive personal data and government-related data to engage in a variety of nefarious activities, including malicious cyber-enabled activities, espionage and blackmail”, he continued.
A senior Justice Department official identified China, Russia, North Korea, Iran, Cuba and Venezuela as countries that are likely to be targeted by rules resulting from Wednesday’s executive action.
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