US President signs executive order banning the sale of personal information to 'countries of concern' such as China and Russia

US President Joe Biden announced on February 28, 2024 that he would sell a wide range of personal information, from location information to financial records to genomic data, to hostile 'countries of concern' such as China, Russia, and North Korea. signed an executive order prohibiting this. The US government explains that this executive order is intended to prevent enemy countries from using the power of AI to misuse personal data.

Office of Public Affairs | Justice Department to Implement Groundbreaking Executive Order Addressing National Security Risks and Data Security | United States Department of Justice

The executive order that was decided to take effect this time was designed with commercial data brokers in the business of buying and selling personal information in mind. It will be possible to crack down on sales to countries.

Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a statement that ``adversaries may purchase sensitive data on Americans to blackmail or monitor individuals, target perceived dissidents in the United States, or otherwise and engage in malicious activities.'

China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, and Venezuela are expected to be designated as countries of concern. Additionally, prohibited personal information includes genetic data, biometric data, personal health data, geolocation data, financial data, and other types of personally identifiable information.

In the United States, it has traditionally been prohibited to obtain personal information or confidential data by means such as hacking, but it is not illegal for brokers to trade highly confidential data. As a result, even when there is a clear risk that this data might end up in the hands of a hostile country, authorities are unable to prevent it from happening, which is a concern for the Biden administration.

Of particular concern is that TikTok, which has more than 150 million users in the United States alone, is operated by a Chinese company.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre responded to a reporter's question, 'Is the Biden administration concerned about TikTok regarding the trafficking of sensitive data?' 'We have concerns, and that's why we issued this executive order,' he said, emphasizing that this was not the case.

Prior to the presidential order, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) prohibited data broker Outlogic (formerly X-Mode Social) from selling location information on January 9, 2024. This is the first time that US regulators have taken such action. The FTC also ordered another data broker, InMarket Media, to similarly ban the sale of location information on January 19th.

'Hostile foreign powers are targeting Americans with the power of massive amounts of data and AI,' said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Department of Justice's National Security Division. It fills a critical gap in our national security authority and gives the Department of Justice powerful new enforcement tools to protect our people and their most sensitive information from misuse by hostile forces.” talked.