President Joe Biden is putting in place an executive order to beef up the protection of your personal data. The focus? Keeping your information safe, especially when it comes to dealings with countries that are considered not-so-friendly. So, let’s break it down.
What’s Happening?
The executive order is all about the booming business of selling your personal info. Some companies collect data about you – stuff like your health info, where you go, and even your genetic and biometric data.
Then, they sell this data to other companies or countries. Often, these companies will use “data brokers” to gather and trade details about you.
Concerns about Data Misuse
The concern is that these entities might be selling your sensitive information to countries with a history of playing fast and loose with American data.
Who Are the “Countries of Concern”?
The list includes China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, and Venezuela. The worry is that these countries might not just be collecting your data but could potentially misuse it. The new order is aimed at stopping this kind of business.
Why Should You Care?
The government is worried that your data might be used to track you, peek into your personal life, and even be shared with other data brokers or foreign intelligence services.
Are There Risks?
Well, they range from privacy issues to more severe concerns like counterintelligence and potential blackmail.
Especially if you’re part of the military or national security community, your data being out there raises some serious red flags.
National Security Concerns
There’s a real fear in the White House that this information could be used to track citizens, mess with their lives, or even blackmail people.
What Does the Executive Order Focus On?
It zeroes in on specific types of sensitive information, like your genomic data, biometrics, health records, location details, and financial data.
The idea is to set up some harsh rules to stop wrongdoers from getting their hands on your data.
Investigation and Enforcement of Violations
The Department of Justice will be in charge of making sure these rules are followed, and they’ll be keeping an eye on companies and folks who try to sell your info to the wrong people.
Ensuring Accountability
It’s not just about stopping the bad guys from getting your data. It’s also about making sure the folks who are supposed to be keeping your info safe – like the people who run the internet and phone companies – are doing their job.
What’s Being Done?
Currently, the Department of Justice is drafting rules to protect your sensitive data.
It will force the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice to set high-security standards to make sure these countries can’t access your data through other means, like investment, vendor relationships, or employment ties.
What About Telecom Services?
The order also wants a close eye on the telecommunications services sector. When they’re reviewing licenses for submarine cables, they need to think about the threats to your sensitive data.
How Will It Affect You?
Various government agencies will decide the rules and decide who’s a “covered person.” These are individuals with links to countries of concern.
So, any transactions involving your data and these covered persons will be regulated.
What If There Are Violations?
The Department of Justice will investigate any breaches of these new rules. If they find any, they’ll go after both civil and criminal consequences.
The penalties for messing with your data will depend on the situation.
Why Does This Matter Now?
This move comes right after the Biden administration’s push to make critical sectors, like U.S. ports, more secure.
There’s a concern that equipment from certain countries, especially China, might not be as secure as it should be and could potentially be used for surveillance.
What’s Congress Saying?
Even Congress has been looking into privacy risks tied to the data-broker industry. They’ve been reaching out to big companies like Equifax and Oracle, asking questions about how they collect and share your data.
The concern is that current laws might not be enough to protect your data from being misused.
Safeguarding Your Personal Data
So, what does this mean for you? Well, hopefully, it means you can feel a little safer knowing that steps are being taken to protect your personal data.
Individual Data Protection
It’s all about making sure that your information stays in the right hands and doesn’t end up being used against you.
Privacy and National Security
It’s a move towards protecting our privacy and keeping our country safe from those who would do us harm.
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The post Biden Targets Foreign Threats: Safeguarding Your Personal Data from China and Beyond first appeared on From Frugal to Free.
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The content of this article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute or replace professional financial advice.
