Joe Biden has just dealt a big defeat to big tech | Joseph Stiglitz

US president's new executive order is an important step towards protecting sensitive personal data

Last year, Joe Biden's administration infuriated lobbyists representing big tech firms and others that profit from our personal data by denouncing a proposal that would have gutted domestic data privacy, online civil rights and liberties, and competition safeguards. Now, the US president's new executive order on Americans' data security reveals that the lobbyists had good reason to worry.

After decades of data brokers and tech platforms exploiting Americans' personal data without any oversight or restrictions, the Biden administration has announced that it will ban the transfer of certain kinds of data to China and other countries of concern. It is a small, but important, step towards protecting Americans' sensitive personal information, in addition to government-related data.