US Releases Executive Order Banning Sale of Sensitive Data to Hostile Nations
In a major action for data protection and security, the White House has signed an executive order banning the sale of sensitive data to what it calls "countries of concern." The list includes Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, and most importantly for this executive action, China.
The EO, which implores the American government to continue the cause of data privacy and pass federal legislation, establishes regulations to better protect government-related information and stop large-scale data transfers to unapproved countries, all while not interfering with the routine flow of data across the country.
The EO said in explaining the action, “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, pry into their personal lives, and pass that data on to other data brokers and foreign intelligence services.”
Any organization sending data to one of these countries, particularly China, will need to reassess its data transfers.
