While "Terminator Salvation," sans "Governator" plays in theaters nationwide, President Obama declares that cyberspace is actually a real place, and gives it its own security force. To protect us from hackers, international terrorists, and even SkyNet Research, Obama announced today the creation of a new government post - Cybersecurity Coordinator. Sure, this is not a job most of us would want, but his speech announcing the post certainly underscores the importance of this virtual space we've created and adopted in droves over the past two decades.
He reminds us that the internet is not just about our growing personal communication and entertainment uses, saying "... make no mistake: This world -- cyberspace -- is a world that we depend on every single day. It's our hardware and our software, our desktops and laptops and cell phones and Blackberries that have become woven into every aspect of our lives. It's the broadband networks beneath us and the wireless signals around us, the local networks in our schools and hospitals and businesses, and the massive grids that power our nation. It's the classified military and intelligence networks that keep us safe, and the World Wide Web that has made us more interconnected than at any time in human history. So cyberspace is real. And so are the risks that come with it."
As geeks around the country rejoice at the administration's plans are to keep this virtual world "open and free," we wonder if the continued emphasis on technology and security will fuel even more government attention to consumer privacy concerns around online advertising and behavioral targeting? Time will tell.
– Layne Salter
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