President Barack Obama’s State of the Union Tuesday night included some of the tech industry’s major policy concerns: cyber security, surveillance, tax reform and trade.
At the top of the list of tech’s priorities, Obama said it is time for Congress to finally pass legislation that protects America from cyber threats and personal identity:
No foreign nation, no hacker, should be able to shut down our networks, steal our trade secrets, or invade the privacy of American families, especially our kids. We are making sure our government integrates intelligence to combat cyber threats, just as we have done to combat terrorism. And tonight, I urge this Congress to finally pass the legislation we need to better meet the evolving threat of cyber-attacks, combat identity theft, and protect our children’s information. If we don’t act, we’ll leave our nation and our economy vulnerable. If we do, we can continue to protect the technologies that have unleashed untold opportunities for people around the globe.
Linda Moore, president and CEO of TechNet, issued a statement about the cybersecurity proposal:
Weapplaud President Obama for outlining a legislative proposal on cybersecurity that would enable information sharing between the private sector and government and prioritize the personal privacy of citizens. Preventing cyber attacks is a shared responsibility and protecting these networks is vital to economic stability, national security and public safety.
Mark MacCarthy, vice president for public policy at the Software and Information Industry Association, said the organization applauded Obama’s “direct engagement on cyber information-sharing and trade promotion authority legislation.”
Ed Black, the president and chief executive of the Computer & Communications Industry Association, said:
The digital economy is becoming the backbone of the economy. The President is urging numerous policy measures that are responding to the realities of our 21st Century economy. Adopting these proposals and refraining from policies that are tied to the past can nurture our economic turnaround. Failure to develop good policies risk slowing down our economic dynamism.
Photo: President Obama in Washington in 2013. (Associated Press)
