The
Joe Biden
administration has proposed a new regulation that would require
US cloud computing companies
to verify the identities of foreign entities accessing their
data centers
. With this move, the US government will be able to prevent non-state actors or adversaries like China, from using the country’s cloud infrastructure to train artificial intelligence (AI) models that may threaten national security.
In an interview with the news agency Reuters, US Commerce Secretary
Gina Raimondo
said: "We can't have China or folks we don’t want accessing our cloud to train their models.”
Proposed rule for US-based cloud companies
Under the proposed "know your customer" rules, US cloud providers will have to set up verification programs to confirm the identities of foreign users signing up for or maintaining accounts that use the country’s cloud computing services. Companies would have to meet minimum identity standards and certify compliance on a yearly basis.
Raimondo said US cloud firms “should have the burden of knowing who their biggest customers are training the biggest models.” The information gathered will be needed to determine further government action, she added.
She said companies will have 30 days to respond to upcoming Commerce Department surveys about their AI systems and plans. "Any company that doesn't want to comply is a red flag for me," Raimondo noted.
The top US cloud providers include
Amazon
Web Services,
Cloud and Microsoft Azure. Under the proposed regulations, they could soon be required to gather more information on foreign clients who are leveraging their data centers and advanced computing capabilities.
How US is stopping China from using its tech
The Biden administration has cited broad national security concerns and has taken a series of steps aimed at preventing China from harnessing US technology to advance its AI capabilities.
However, tech industry groups have argued some measures overreach and could undermine international research collaboration.
General counsel at trade group NetChoice, Carl Szabo, criticised the administration's “illegal” executive order empowering the new cloud computing rules.
Raimondo countered by saying that US cloud companies "should have the burden of knowing" how major foreign entities are using their platforms.
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