WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department on Monday proposed new rules to protect federal government data or Americans' bulk personal data from getting into the hands of countries like China, Iran and Russia by placing new limits on certain business transactions.

In a bold move to protect national security, the U.S. Justice Department announced sweeping new rules on October 21 designed to block foreign adversaries like China, Russia, and Iran from accessing vast troves of American personal and government data.

The US is looking to stop certain countries—including China, Russia, and Iran—from buying large amounts of data on Americans, citing the threat of spying and blackmail.