Biden to enact executive order safeguarding American citizens' confidential information from hostile nations, including China.

• American citizens' personal data will be safeguarded from hostile countries through a new executive order issued by U.S. President Joe Biden.
• The executive order focuses on the sale of personal information by companies and data brokers, who collect and trade such data.
• The Chinese Communist Party's accumulation of U.S. data has raised national security concerns among lawmakers and intelligence agencies.

On Wednesday, Joe Biden, the U.S. President, will issue an executive order to protect the privacy of American citizens from hostile countries.

The Biden Administration is concerned that data brokers and commercial entities may sell Americans' personal information to "countries of concern," which have a history of misusing data.

The Chinese Communist Party's accumulation of U.S. data has raised national security concerns among lawmakers and intelligence agencies.

The order prioritizes the protection of sensitive information such as genomic data, biometric data, personal health data, geolocation data, financial data, and other forms of personally identifiable information.

According to a White House fact sheet, hostile countries can use this data to invade Americans' privacy and share it with other data brokers and foreign intelligence services.

The sale of Americans' data poses significant privacy, counterintelligence, blackmail, and national security risks, particularly for those in the military or national security community, according to the White House in a release on the new E.O.

The White House stated that countries of concern have the ability to obtain sensitive personal data of Americans to gather information on activists, academics, journalists, dissidents, political figures, and members of non-governmental organizations and marginalized communities in order to intimidate opponents, suppress dissent, and restrict Americans' freedom of expression and other civil liberties.

The executive order will mandate the Department of Justice to establish regulations aimed at safeguarding sensitive information. Additionally, it will command the Department of Homeland Security and the DOJ to establish stringent security protocols to prevent unauthorized access to American data by countries of concern through various commercial channels, including investment, vendor, and employment relationships.

The Assessment of Foreign Participation in the United States Telecommunications Services Sector should take into account the risks to Americans' sensitive personal data when evaluating submarine cable licenses.

The White House stated that the actions taken are in line with the U.S.'s longstanding support for the free flow of data and its commitment to an open internet with strong privacy protections and measures to preserve governments' ability to enforce laws and advance policies in the public interest.

The Biden administration recently issued an executive order aimed at enhancing the cybersecurity of US ports. For example, government officials stated that 80% of port equipment, including ship-to-shore cranes, are made in China, and there are concerns that the equipment could be compromised and used for surveillance.

In addition to focusing on privacy risks associated with the data-broker industry, Congress has also sent letters to over 20 companies, including Equifax and Oracle, requesting information about their data collection and distribution practices in May.

The letter stated that concerns about American privacy in the data broker industry are not novel, and current laws do not adequately safeguard Americans' data from being misused.

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