US senators introduce bill to further restrict Chinese acquisitions of American personal data
- Marco Rubio of Florida and Raphael Warnock of Georgia seek to extend federal oversight of foreign deals for US businesses handling personal data
- ‘Adversaries like the People’s Republic of China,’ they say, use acquisitions to stockpile data, ‘creating both privacy and national security risks’
Two US senators introduced bipartisan legislation on Tuesday to further restrict Chinese acquisition of American personal data, citing the threat to national security.
The Protecting Sensitive Personal Data Act of 2021, sponsored by Marco Rubio, Republican of Florida, and Raphael Warnock, Democrat of Georgia, aims to expand the oversight authority by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US (CFIUS), an inter-agency regulator that can compel foreign buyers of US businesses to submit their purchases for review.
The bill, according to the senators, seeks to protect data including genetic test results, health conditions and insurance applications. Other sensitive data would include information about financial hardship, security clearance, geolocation data, private emails, data for generating government identification and credit reports.
CFIUS reviews do not single out Chinese acquisitions, and the legislation does not mention China by name. However, Rubio was not shy about his intent.
“Americans should be deeply concerned about foreign investments in US companies that handle their personal information, which pose a risk of exposing personal data, like genetic testing results and private financial transactions, to harmful actors in China and elsewhere,” Rubio said in the statement.
Warnock added that there was an urgency to protect personal data and information “from foreign entities that may wish to exploit them”.
