Obama Administration Pushes Foreign Countries on Cyber Security

The Obama administration has unveiled a new international strategy for cyberspace that calls for foreign countries to promote a secure and open Internet. The plan is the first by any administration to lay out the U.S. government’s vision for global cyberspace, The Washington Post reported.

Attorney General Eric Holder

“A new era of global engagement and vigilance has begun,” said Attorney General Eric Holder, who joined several senior administration officials in introducing the plan to U.S. and foreign officials and industry representatives.

The strategy is laid out in a 30-page document. That plan, which is intended as a guide for a later, more detailed policy, argues that expanded access to secure networks is essential to economic prosperity. Last summer, the United States reversed course and agreed to work with other countries to reduce computer network threats, the Post reported.

“This is just the beginning of a conversation within governments, between governments, the private sector and beyond,” the Post quoted White House cyber security coordinator Howard Schmidt as saying.