Big News:

Today (February 28,2024), President Biden will issue an Executive Order, which authorizes the Attorney General to block the large-scale transfer of Americans’ personal data to countries of concern and implement safeguards against activities that could grant such countries access to sensitive data (e.g. genomic data, biometric data, personal health data, geolocation data, financial data, and certain kinds of personally identifiable information). The sale of personal data is a subject of significant concern.

What to expect:

·?????? The Department of Justice to issue regulations that aim to prevent large-scale transfer of personal data (e.g. genomic data, biometric data, personal health data, geolocation data, financial data, and certain kinds of personal identifiers) to countries of concern.

·?????? The Departments of Justice and Homeland Security to set high security standards to prevent access by countries of concern to personal data through other commercial means (e.g. data available via vendor & employment relationships & investment).

·?????? The Departments of Health and Human Services, Defense, and Veterans Affairs to ensure that Federal grants, contracts, and awards are not used to facilitate access to sensitive health data by countries of concern, including via companies located in the United States.

This is a very important step towards strong and effective protections for individuals’ privacy in the United States and it could mean bigger policy changes especially considering that the Administration expressed its support to pass comprehensive bipartisan privacy legislation, especially to protect the safety of children.

You can find the full text of the Executive Order here: FACT SHEET: President Biden Issues Executive Order to Protect Americans’ Sensitive Personal Data | The White House

I would love to hear your views, comments & questions.