The rain, thankfully, held off for the opening reception of this year’s TPI Aspen Forum.
After short remarks from TPI President Tom Lenard, a the Sunday night reception featured a timely discussion with Michael Daniel, Special Assistant to the President and U.S. Cybersecurity Coordinator, and Alan Raul from Sidley Austin.
After Alan Raul assured the crowd that “sometimes a computer glitch is just a computer glitch,” referring to the breakdown of air traffic control on the east coast Saturday, the two discussed a broad range of issues concerning cybersecurity.
Topics discussed included: the tools available to the U.S. government to respond to threats, the experience of government agencies with cybersecurity vs. the private sector, recent cybersecurity legislation, and the role of the U.S. in leading international cybersecurity efforts in the aftermath of the Snowden leaks.
Daniel’s final predictions for the evening? He noted that the many successes concerning U.S. cybersecurity happen in the dark, un-reported and un-noticed. Additionally, he is optimistic that the U.S. can tackle the cybersecurity issue. However, it’s going to look worse before it gets better because they are more actively looking for threats.
You can watch the entire discussion on the TPI YouTube channel, and you can follow along with the pithy and insightful tweets from attendees at #TPIAspen.
Highlights of today’s panels and keynotes will be coming soon.
Amy V. Smorodin is Vice President of Communications and External Relations at the Technology Policy Institute. Prior to joining TPI, she was Vice President of Communications at The Progress & Freedom Foundation. Smorodin also served as a public policy communications specialist at the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA), a global tech industry association. She began her media and public relations career at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, where she acted as liaison between families, law enforcement, and the media. Smorodin attended American University in Washington, DC.
asmorodin at techpolicyinstitute.org
