Mr. Obama, the President of the United States is set to name a Chief of Cybersecurity, a position that aims to coordinate the public and government preparedness to digital threats.
The man, Howard Schmidt, is a well known figure. Under the previous US administration, he held a role as an advisor on cybersecurity. He also is currently serving as the CEO of the Information Security Forum, has worked in security for both eBay and Microsoft, and also worked with the Army and Air Force in security roles.
Quick side note, he also did computer forensics for the FBI. Make of that what you will.
Of course, few people will be annoyed by the President’s choice. Mr. Schmidt is obviously qualified, but one does worry if this new position will be used to clamp down on internet neutrality or peer to peer networking capabilities.
This move by the US government underscores an increasing awareness by world governments that digital security is not just a concern for private companies, but for every aspect of government: local, state, and federal. Let’s hope the the new US “cyberczar” will bring a new level of preparedness to global government.
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