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Stanford Hosting White House Cybersecurity Summit

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 01/14/15

Stanford University will be hosting a White House summit on cybersecurity and consumer protection next month. The announcement came during remarks made by President Obama at the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center (pronounced "N-kick"), a division of Homeland Security, as part of a proposal to tighten laws related to cybersecurity standards.

The one-day event is scheduled for February 13 and will bring together participants from the federal government, industry, technology, law enforcement and academia, including students. Topics will include how public and private organizations can better share cybersecurity information, how cybersecurity practices and technologies can be improved and how to expand the adoption and use of more secure payment technologies.

The Summit is one of several steps being taken by the White House in the area of digital security. Earlier this week, Obama announced a student digital privacy act that would focus on how data is used in education. Another proposal to be sent to Congress would force companies to comply with certain privacy restrictions, such as removing unnecessary personal information from their systems, and provide liability protections for organizations that share information about cyber threats. In November, the administration announced the "BuySecure Initiative," a push for retailers and banks to implement more secure payment technologies to minimize the threat of fraud and data breaches.

"We are honored to host this White House summit...and are excited to play a pivotal role in convening experts from government, industry and academia," said Amy Zegart, director of Stanford's Center for International Security and Cooperation. "Stanford is very engaged in studying cyber-related issues, and we look forward to enhancing this work by sharing our expertise on the cybersecurity issues that are so critical for the United States, its consumers and its businesses."

In November Stanford announced that it was one of three institutions that had received a $15 million grant from a private foundation to fund the launch of a new program for developing public policy that could help government, business and individuals deal with security threats.

The White House and the university said they're still finalizing details for the summit; but the event will include keynote speeches, panel discussions and small group workshops.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

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