- The Washington Times - Tuesday, January 13, 2015

President Obama on Tuesday will push for new cybersecurity legislation designed to promote greater cooperation and information-sharing between the private sector and the federal government, the White House announced.

The bill, which the president will detail during a speech Tuesday afternoon in Virginia, will urge private entities to share any cyber threat information with the Department of Homeland Security and other federal agencies. In exchange, companies will be eligible for targeted liability protection if they also take steps to protect Americans’ private information, White House officials said.

The announcement is the latest in a series of steps Mr. Obama is taking to address cybersecurity and Internet access.

On Monday, he introduced new legislation to combat personal data breaches, but the proposal was overshadowed as hackers took control of U.S. Central Command social media accounts as Mr. Obama spoke. The hackers claimed allegiance to the terrorist group the Islamic State.

That incident came just weeks after North Korean hackers launched a coordinated cyberattack on Sony Pictures, stealing massive amounts of private data and publicly releasing troves of embarrassing emails. The attack was retaliation for Sony’s movie “The Interview,” which depicts the assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Also on Tuesday, Mr. Obama will announce a White House-led summit on cybersecurity and consumer protections, set for Feb. 13.

The meeting, to be held at Stanford University, will include government leaders, leaders from the financial services, retail, technology and other industries, law enforcement officials and others.

• Ben Wolfgang can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.

Copyright © 2024 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.

Please read our comment policy before commenting.

Click to Read More and View Comments

Click to Hide