White House proposes formation of a cybersecurity insurance market

Back in February, President Obama signed an executive order aimed at beefing up cybersecurity measures and established a 240 day deadline for the administration to hammer out the details. Today, the White House took to its blog to put forth a rather loosely defined set of incentives designed to convince private companies to adopt the voluntary aspects of its so-called “Cybersecurity Framework.” At the top of the list is a proposed cybersecurity insurance market, which calls for the adoption of risk-reducing measures and risk-based pricing models. Beyond those broad brushstrokes, the White House has provided few details, stating that specifics would be developed in the coming months. Also included in the incentives are federal grants for companies taking part in the program, preferential treatment for some existing government services, liability limitations and public recognition. Essentially, the blog post acts mainly as a preview for the Voluntary Program set to launch in early 2014. The details are more than a bit fuzzy at the moment, but we’ll keep you updated as we learn more.

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Via: The Verge

Source: White House

Electronic Frontier Foundation sues NSA, calls surveillance programs unconstitutional

DNP Electronic Frontier Foundation sues Obama administration over surveillance concerns

Earlier today, the Electronic Frontier Foundation sued the Obama administration over concerns surrounding the NSA’s extensive surveillance programs, just weeks after the ACLU did the same. Filed on behalf of human rights, religious and environmental activist groups, the suit argues that the federal government’s so-called Associational Tracking Program is inherently unconstitutional because it threatens stipulations found in the Bill of Rights, like freedom of speech and the right to assembly. The list of plaintiffs is extensive, and the suit has united groups with varying mission statements, like Human Rights Watch, Greenpeace and the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. To read the complaint in full, head on over to the source link below.

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Via: Bloomberg

Source: Electronic Frontier Foundation

Editorial: We, the digitally naked

Editorial We, the digitally naked

The iPhone 5. It is taller, and has incremental improvements under the hood, and is shiny. (I’m staying away. Typing on glass is wrong.)

Of more import, the smartphone you carry is more than a communication device; it is potentially a government surveillance enabler. To whatever extent that is the case (depending on whose public pronouncements you believe), latent digital snooping was reinforced on the same day as the iPhone event. Two days after that, Google announced its intention to build a “Do Not Track” option into the Chrome browser, giving users some shielding from a different type of rampant surveillance — the type that creepily delivers knowingly targeted ads. The two issues differ in seriousness, but are related as privacy concerns. As our mobile and desktop devices get sexier, we become increasingly naked.

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Editorial: We, the digitally naked originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Sep 2012 15:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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