Sources: White House to issue cybersecurity order Wednesday
The White House is poised to release an executive order aimed at thwarting cyberattacks against critical infrastructure on Wednesday, two people familiar with the matter told The Hill…. The executive order would establish a voluntary program in which companies operating critical infrastructure would elect to meet cybersecurity best practices and standards crafted, in part, by the government….The White House began crafting the executive order after Congress failed to pass cybersecurity legislation last year…GOP senators and the influential U.S. Chamber of Commerce fought hard against the Senate bill, warning that it would apply burdensome new regulations to businesses. [The Hill]
Things are hotting up nicely in terms of data protection, where EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding proposed new EU rules just over a year ago. The proposed directive–needed to update rules that date from 1995 when access to the Internet relied on modems that made alien bleeping noises–is now being reviewed by the European Parliament and EU governments. Its path is not a smooth one….It’s not just IT giants whose ideas have been copy-pasted into the amendments, the campaign adds. EDRi, which campaigns for civil rights online, says U.S. authorities have been sending lobbying documents on unheaded paper railing against the proposals. There are also amendments lifted directly from AmCham, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, according to Lobbyplag. [Wall Street Journal Blog]