President Obama has just announced a plan to tighten up Cybersecurity in the US, including the creation of the new cabinet-level position of “Cybersecurity Czar.” The job of the “Czar” will be a tough one indeed: protecting the nation from serious cyber-attacks, and devising responses and preparedness plans in case an unthinkable cyber-shut down should ever occur.
The new cybersecurity chief will coordinate with many different governmental agencies, while enforcing national policy regarding cyber-threats. On Friday, the president introduced a 76 page action plan for cybersecurity, and noted that his own presidential campaign had been attacked by hackers last year, causing loss of information and compromising the personal information of campaign workers.
Reassuringly, Obama seems to be taking cyber attacks and cyber terrorism more seriously than his predecessors. And the fact that the president is using his position and power to make cybersecurity a prominent issue in American politics can only be a good thing.
In the past, the country has lacked a unified effort at the federal level to ensure Internet security and protect citizens from fraud and identity theft. Moreover, American businesses and governmental departments have suffered for years with tens of thousands of damaging cyber attacks. Having a unified national policy and a “Cybersecurity Czar” to oversee that policy will go a long way toward making the Internet a safer place for citizens, businesses, government agencies and the military.
With the announcement of the new cyber security policy, it seems clear that the information age is finally maturing and becoming part of mainstream American government and business. Accordingly, the new report introduces an online “legal standard of care,” which outlines security standards expected of companies with an online presence (read: pretty much all of them these days).
The new White House Cybersecurity Office will report to the National Security Council, as well as the National Economic Council, emphasizing the importance of cyber security not only to national defense, but also to American business interests.
The president was quick to point out in his speech Friday that the new cyber security policy will not include the monitoring of private networks or general Internet traffic. He also emphasized that he remains “firmly committed” to net neutrality.
But critics worry that the new Cybersecurity Czar may have unprecedented power over American’s online communications; and that in times of crisis the office could sensor, edit or otherwise limit e-mail and other communication between citizens, violating the First Amendment to the Constitution.
The key, as always, lies in finding an appropriate balance. The national Cybersecurity Czar should have a mandate and the power to act when necessary, but not unlimited control over online networks and communication.
If we’ve learned anything from history it’s that American politicians usually do the opposite of what they propose to the public. You can certainly expect them to end net neutrality and start censoring/blocking like China has in order to establish a one-world government and system of prison planet control.
Comment by truth_hurts — June 28, 2009 @ 6:05 am