Cyber Security & The Next Four Years

The Obama administration has to look at the US’ cyber security policies, given the amount of sensitive data that can be compromised.

Now that the election is over, the Obama administration will be forced to address the challenges of US cyber security. A lack of qualified tech professionals needed to defend against cyber attacks has many privacy activists running scared. Here’s a look into the cyber security challenges we face as a country:

Cyber-Security & Privacy

Consumers are increasingly becoming targets of companies looking to collect data on their spending habits. Law enforcement agencies are able to track and collect data as well in order to solve crimes. Question is, how far is too far. As Americans we always have a little fear of that “Big Brother” mentality. The Obama administration, along with Congress will need to re-define or re-write the rules concerning online monitoring. After-all, law abiding citizens, consumers and companies have a right to privacy. Current rules indicate that access to information stored on dedicated servers are time sensitive; meaning older information may not be protected.

On the other hand, It’s also a question of national security. Privacy advocates fear the Obama administration will use national security as an excuse to keep wiretapping programs going. Either way, the advent of cloud computing and other types of virtualized storage will necessitate to need to update our nations aging Electronic Privacy Act – which determines which information our government can and cannot access. In the past, the Obama administration has sided with consumers, stating they have the right to keep their information private. Although important, the seriousness of consumer rights seem to pale in comparison to cyber attacks.

Cyber-Security Act of 2012

This past year, members of the Senate blocked the Cyber-Security Act of 2012. This was a bill that the administration hoped would pass, allowing the government and private sector to work together to protect infrastructure in the US. Our communication, banking and municipal utility systems are always at risk. It’s a sticky situation though, as many do not like the idea of government involvement in the private sector. While there are always two sides to the argument, the Obama administration doesn’t trust that the country can defend itself on its own. It will be a waiting game until cyber-security bills are re-addressed. Until then, the country needs to see more qualified professionals enter the technology sector. The security of our private information depends on it.