U.S. Chamber Applauds White House Cyber Report

U.S. Chamber Applauds White House Cyber Report
Businesses Welcome Opportunity for Meaningful Partnerships

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Chamber of Commerce today hailed the White House's release of the 60-day cyberspace policy review as a way forward to build a secure, reliable, and resilient communications and information infrastructure.

"Cyber threats are real, growing, and causing significant challenges for businesses," said Ann Beauchesne, the Chamber's vice president of National Security and Emergency Preparedness. "President Obama promised to make cyber security a top priority during the campaign. The Chamber welcomes the administration's efforts to turn a campaign promise into action."

Themes of the report include:

• The government taking responsibility for addressing strategic vulnerabilities in cyberspace and to ensure that the U.S. and our international partners realize the full potential of the digital revolution.
• Leadership is required from the top – from the White House, to departments and agencies, and to state and local governments.
• A national dialogue on cyber security must happen in a way that the American people can appreciate the need for action.

"Because the private sector owns and operates the vast majority of our nation's critical infrastructure, government and business have a shared responsibility to defend our networks," Beauchesne said. "In partnership with businesses, the government has an opportunity to clarify its roles and responsibilities; to establish a national policy for ensuring the protection and resilience of our cyber infrastructure; and to enhance meaningful efforts at information sharing."

Since this past fall, the Chamber has been visiting cities around the country, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, to increase businesses' awareness of cyber security and to educate them about tools that are readily available to mitigate threats.

The U.S. Chamber is the world's largest business federation representing more than 3 million businesses and organizations of every size, sector, and region.

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