United States of America: Adopted Executive Order On Enhancing Safeguards For United States Signals Intelligence Activities including data protection regulation

On 7 October 2022, US President Joe Biden adopted the Executive Order On Enhancing Safeguards for United States Signals Intelligence Activities, including data protection regulations for US signals intelligence activities. The Executive Order is intended to implement US commitments under the US-EU Trans-Atlantic Data Privacy Framework to improve privacy and civil liberties protections in relation to signals intelligence activities. The Executive Order establishes the principles by which signals intelligence activities are to be authorised and conducted. These principles establish that signals intelligence activities shall only be conducted for defined legitimate purposes if they are necessary and subject to oversight. The Executive Order also establishes rules regarding the dissemination, processing, and retention of information collected as part of signals intelligence activities. Finally, the Executive Order establishes an international redress mechanism to enable individuals from "qualifying states" to obtain review and redress of complaints that personal information collected about them through US signals intelligence activities was collected or processed in violation of US law.