CYBERCOM Chief: America Must Secure the Internet, Safeguard Citizens’ Privacy Online

Gen. Alexander

As the federal government ups the ante against cyber adversaries, the civilian and military officials leading those efforts are committed to adopting meaningful measures to protect citizens’ privacy, National Security Agency Director Gen. Keith B. Alexander said on Tuesday.

Speaking at the O’Reilly Media Gov 2.0 Summit in Washington, D.C., Alexander addressed the issue that better security may come at the expense of personal privacy. EsecurityPlanet.com quoted Alexander as saying:

“As the director of NSA and the commander of U.S. Cyber Command, I have an obligation to the law and to the American people to ensure that everything we do in cyberspace preserves and protects our civil liberties and operates legally under the constitution, while concurrently conducting our mission.”

The general spoke of the mandate of U.S. Cyber Command, which has brought together existing military information security units, and works collaborates with NSA. The Cyber Command also provides support to civilian agencies in the information-security arena.

Alexander also spoke of the daily cyber threats targeting the U.S. government’s systems, adding how these assaults are only growing.

“Considering the body of both personal and national treasure that resides on the Internet — information, money, medical records, personal email, critical infrastructure and, most important, national security — it is not a hyperbole to say that we have as much at risk or more than any other nation,” he said.

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