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Obama urges tech firms to share data with government Cybersecurity: Tech firms urged to share data with US
(about 1 hour later)
US President Barack Obama has asked tech firms to share more information with security services and each other to tackle cybercrime. Private tech firms should share more information with government and with each other to tackle cybercrime, according to US President Barack Obama.
The White House confirmed ahead of a cybersecurity summit bringing together leading industry and law enforcement figures that the president would sign an executive order. "We have to work together like never before" Mr Obama said during a speech at a White House cybersecurity summit hosted in Silicon Valley.
Besides Mr Obama, Apple's Tim Cook is also due to speak at the conference. The issue has become a White House priority since a widely publicised hack of Sony Pictures at the end of 2014.
Senior Google, Yahoo and Facebook executives turned down invitations. But a rift has opened up among some tech firms over sharing more data.
A rift has opened up between the president and senior industry figures over his calls for them to hand over more data. Senior Google, Yahoo and Facebook executives turned down invitations to the summit, held at Stanford University.
According to a White House statement, the president will sign an advisory executive order encouraging the setting up of information sharing and analysis organisations (ISAOs) to help firms and government to share material on potential threats. Relations between the US government and tech firms have been strained relations since the government's electronic surveillance practices were exposed by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden.
It will also develop a common set of voluntary standards for the organisations to follow, including the protection of civil liberties, the White House said. Mr Obama signed an advisory executive order at the summit, encouraging the creation of information sharing and analysis organisations (ISAOs) to help firms and government share material on potential threats.
The plan calls for the development of a common set of voluntary standards for organisations to follow, according to the White House.
The standards would help ensure protection for civil liberties, the US government says.
Mr Obama has also launched an intelligence unit to co-ordinate cyber-threat analysis.Mr Obama has also launched an intelligence unit to co-ordinate cyber-threat analysis.
A senior member of Britain's National Crime Agency is also due to appear, along with executives from Microsoft, Facebook and Google. "Just as we're all connected like never before, we have to work together like never before, both to seize opportunities but also meet the challenges of this information age," Mr Obama said.
The figures are appearing at a White House summit, but one that the president has chosen to hold in Silicon Valley, rather than in Washington DC. "Government cannot do this alone. But the fact is that the private sector can't do it alone either because it's government that often has the latest information on new threats."
Analysis, Richard Taylor, North America technology correspondent
President Obama is bringing a message of inclusive collaboration to beat cyber threats. The recent Sony hack and spate of consumer retail data breaches proves that need is greater than ever. And a co-ordinated federal approach, superseding the patchwork of state laws, might seem sensible.
But the absence of Silicon Valley's most senior figures hints at a deep division between it and Washington. They are uneasy about allying strongly with an administration tarnished by Edward Snowden's revelations that the National Security Agency (NSA) has spied extensively on their customers.
More than 18 months on, the tech goliaths are still struggling to rebuild users' trust and they are as keen to protect themselves from prying official eyes as they are from external malevolent hackers. NSA reform has been way too deliberate for their liking.
The president needs buy-in to his proposals. His own intelligence officials now say cybercrime poses a more pressing threat to national security than terrorism. But the on-going tension and mistrust between the security and tech communities does not auger well.
According to Bloomberg, Mark Zuckerberg and Marissa Mayer - chief executives of Facebook and Yahoo, respectively - and Google's Larry Page and Eric Schmidt all declined invitations.According to Bloomberg, Mark Zuckerberg and Marissa Mayer - chief executives of Facebook and Yahoo, respectively - and Google's Larry Page and Eric Schmidt all declined invitations.
Facebook, Yahoo, Google and Microsoft have all sent less senior executives to the conference.Facebook, Yahoo, Google and Microsoft have all sent less senior executives to the conference.
Surveillance
Obama's cybersecurity push follows similar efforts by British Prime Minister David Cameron, who said in January that forms of communication that are resistant to surveillance measures should not be allowed.Obama's cybersecurity push follows similar efforts by British Prime Minister David Cameron, who said in January that forms of communication that are resistant to surveillance measures should not be allowed.
His comments were interpreted as a direct attack on encrypted communications, such as Apple's FaceTime and Microsoft's Skype, among others.His comments were interpreted as a direct attack on encrypted communications, such as Apple's FaceTime and Microsoft's Skype, among others.
Analysis, Richard Taylor, North America technology correspondent The conference also took place in the aftermath of the hacking scandal that hit Sony Pictures and which the US authorities blamed on North Korea.
President Obama is bringing a message of inclusive collaboration to beat cyber threats. The recent Sony hack and spate of consumer retail data breaches proves that need is greater than ever. And a coordinated federal approach, superseding the patchwork of state laws, might seem sensible. America and China have also taken more aggressive stances towards each other over cybersecurity recently, with the US charging a series of Chinese people with hacking last year.
But the absence of Silicon Valley's most senior figures hints at a deep division between it and Washington. They are uneasy about allying strongly with an administration tarnished by Edward Snowden's revelations that the National Security Agency (NSA) has spied extensively on their customers. The French authorities beefed up their security efforts after claiming to have detected attempts to launch cyber-attacks in the aftermath of the Paris terror attacks.
More than 18 months on, the tech goliaths are still struggling to rebuild users' trust and they are as keen to protect themselves from prying official eyes as they are from external malevolent hackers. NSA reform has been way too deliberate for their liking. And just this week the Dutch government fell victim to a distributed denial of service attack, which took many of its websites down by flooding them with traffic.
The President needs buy-in to his proposals. His own intelligence officials now say cyber crime poses a more pressing threat to national security than terrorism. But the on-going tension and mistrust between the security and tech communities does not auger well.
The conference, which will also focus on how to protect consumers online, is taking place in the aftermath of the hacking scandal that hit Sony Pictures and which the US authorities blamed on North Korea.
America and China have also taken more aggressive stances towards each other over cybersecurity recently, with the USA charging a series of Chinese people with hacking last year.
Security
The French authorities beefed up their security efforts after claiming to have detected attempts to launch cyber-attacks in the aftermath of the Paris terror attacks. And just this week the Dutch government fell victim to a distributed denial of service attack, which took many of its websites down by flooding them with traffic.
Announcing the summit last month, Mr Obama said cybersecurity was a "challenge that we can only meet together".
"It's going to bring everybody together - industry, tech companies, law enforcement, consumer and privacy advocates, law professors who are specialists in the field, as well as students - to make sure that we work through these issues in a public, transparent fashion," he said.
He is due to address the conference at 19:15 GMT. Besides Mr Cook, other speakers include Google vice-president Eric Grosse, Facebook chief information security officer Joe Sullivan and his Yahoo counterpart Alex Stamos.
Microsoft vice-president Scott Charney and chief executives from Visa, MasterCard and American Express will also appear.