President Biden is issuing an executive order designed to stop foreign adversaries such as China and Russia from preying on Americans’ sensitive data for items such as health care and personal finances.
The president directed the Justice Department on Wednesday to write new regulations to safeguard people’s data and protect the location information of sensitive government and military personnel.
Attorney General Merrick Garland said the foreign exploitation of Americans’ data is a national security vulnerability that adversaries are actively exploiting.
“They are purchasing this data to use to blackmail and surveil individuals, target those they view as dissidents here in the United States, and engage in other malicious activities,” Mr. Garland said in a statement. “This executive order gives the Justice Department the authority to block countries that pose a threat to our national security from harvesting Americans’ most sensitive personal data.”
As part of the new executive action, Mr. Garland’s department will also work with the Department of Homeland Security to set new standards for concerning countries’ access to the American economy through investment and employment, according to the White House.
Mr. Biden also directed the Departments of Defense, Health and Human Services, and Veterans Affairs to ensure that government grants and taxpayer cash are not used to enable adversaries to access Americans’ data.
Some data security experts scrutinizing Mr. Biden’s newest actions appear cautiously optimistic they could be beneficial.
The key to whether Mr. Biden succeeds is in the implementation of the order, especially in ensuring trade, innovation and other business practices are not diminished, according to Brandon Pugh, R Street Institute cybersecurity and emerging threats policy director.
“The [executive order] certainly has the potential to be part of the data security solution, but even if it is implemented perfectly, more is needed,” Mr. Pugh wrote in an analysis Wednesday.