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Cybersecurity in Obama’s Situation Room

Molly Wood Mar 13, 2013
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Cybersecurity in Obama’s Situation Room

Molly Wood Mar 13, 2013
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President Obama is meeting at the White House this morning with corporate CEO’s to talk about cybersecurity. The CEO’s and the administration will discuss sharing information about potential computer vulnerabliess and specific threats.

“There are sensitivities both ways because some of the information the government has comes from intelligence sources and that needs to be protected,” said Michael Kaiser*, who works with the National Cyber Security Alliance representing big names from the digital world, including Google and Facebook. “Going the other way, industry wants to be sure that when they give information to the government, that somehow won’t come back to haunt them.”

Some worry the government will impose technology that it wants on the private sector. 

“It may force things to be deployed which are less than optimal,” said Michael Angelo with NetIQ Corporation. “There have been instances where proposed legislation actually recommended technology, and [that] causes issues for growth.”

Today’s White House meeting comes soon after U.S. officials said they’re looking into reports that Obama’s own family, including the First Lady, has been hit by hacking.

*CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article mis-identified the first name of Michael Kaiser. The text has been corrected.

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