The National Security Risks of Selling Americans’ Genomic Data
On Wednesday, June 11, Strauss Center Director Adam Klein testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary at a hearing examining the national security risks from the bankruptcy of genetic testing firm 23andMe and the potential sale of its repository of genomic data.
“Data is not just another commodity,” Klein’s testimony began. “When our adversaries buy or steal sensitive American data, they use it to harm the United States. China in particular has used American data to strengthen its military, conduct hostile intelligence operations, and help its companies displace American competitors.”
Klein noted that U.S. genomic data in the hands of adversaries presents several distinctive risks. These include identifying U.S. intelligence officers, unfairly boosting adversaries’ biomedical research, and potentially (though speculatively) facilitating research into bioweapons.
The complete prepared statement and full video of the Judiciary Committee hearing can be found here.
More news from Strauss
FISA’s Section 702: What’s Next After Lapse?
Adam Klein, Director of the Strauss Center for International Security and Law, was quoted in an article in Dispatch on "FISA's Section 702 Has Lapsed. Now What?". Section 702's authority on surveilling non-Americans abroad lapsed for the first time on June 12. “The relative constitutional clarity that 702 provides should be seen as stabilizing and protective, and so for that...
FISA Section 702 Lapses in Congress
After Congress allowed Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) to expire over the weekend, Strauss Center Director Adam Klein provided his perspective to The Christian Science Monitor in their article "Congress lets part of spy law lapse. What's next for counterterrorism efforts?" FISA Section 702 grants the U.S. government the ability to surveil non-U.S. persons abroad without...
FISA’s Surveillance Powers Conflict Continues in Congress
Strauss Center Director Adam Klein was interviewed for The Christian Science Monitor on "Why the surveillance powers in FISA roil Congress – across party lines," which discusses the national security and privacy issues surrounding Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which is set to expire at the end of April. “Imagine that, today, an FBI agent is...