Monday, March 15, 1999Go to . . . CCIPS Home Page || Justice Department Home Page
PRESS RELEASE ITAA and Attorney General Janet Reno Unveil New Tech Partnership; Campaign will Promote Cybercitizenship Washington, D.C. - The Information Technology Association of America (ITAA) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) today announced the Cybercitizen Partnership, a new alliance between the high tech industry and the United States government designed to promote computer ethics and civic responsibility in the cyber age. The partnership also aims to aid law enforcement and industry in the battle against a new breed of criminal - the on-line outlaw. ITAA President Harris Miller, Attorney General Janet Reno and several high tech CEOs who support the plan announced the new program at a press conference today. DOJ and ITAA said that computer crime is a growing problem worldwide, increasing concern that new information-based assets must be protected and preserved. A recent survey by the Computer Security Institute estimates that more than 60 percent of companies have experienced financial losses due to cyber crime. The proliferation of low cost computers and networks have spread information technology to every quarter of society. Today's partnership will conduct a major national campaign to educate, raise awareness and provide resources to empower concerned users and citizens.
"We cannot allow cyberspace to become the wild west of the information age," said Attorney General Janet Reno. "If we are to ensure public safety and responsible computer use, then government, industry and the public must all work together. This Cybercitizen Partnership is an exciting beginning."
ITAA President Harris Miller agreed: "I predict we will see cyber crime proliferate in the very near future if we as an industry, working with government, do not take every necessary step to educate computer users on the consequences of irresponsible cyber behavior. There is simply no greater priority than protecting what has rapidly become the bricks and mortar of this country's economic well-being - our information technology infrastructure - from falling victim to cyber criminals and delinquents. We are delighted to play a leadership role in critical infrastructure protection by collaborating with the Justice Department on the Cybercitizen Partnership."
One ITAA member company, Computer Sciences Corporation, has taken a leadership role within ITAA to actively address cyber concerns and is representative of many of the members.
"As a provider of I/T solutions for government and industry, we have a first hand view of the growing potential for cybercrime and the need to protect our country's technology infrastructure," said Van Honeycutt, CSC's chairman, president, and chief executive officer. "Government and the private sector can always accomplish more by working together on challenging issues such as this, and CSC is proud to be the first company to contribute to the private sector fund for the Cybercitizen Partnership. We encourage others within the I/T and telecommunications industries to do their part to ensure the future safety of our society."
The partnership as it is currently conceived will consist of three complementary segments. The first segment is a "good cybercitizenship" public awareness campaign designed to engage children, young adults and the wider user community on the basics of critical information protection and security, and the limits of acceptable online behavior. The goal of the campaign is to foster responsible cyber citizenship, educate the public on how to protect cyber resources, and decrease the likelihood of attacks through a heightened level of civic preparedness. A second component is a user-friendly computer and network security directory to help public and private sector organizations quickly find the computer security resources they need to protect information assets. Finally, an Information Security Professional fellowship program between industry and government will raise the awareness levels of participants with respect to the views, perspectives and needs of their respective counterparts. Knowledge and experience will be gained that will help shape the development and enhance the utility of potential information products to be shared within and between government and industry.
ITAA consists of 11,000 direct and affiliate members throughout the U.S. which produce products and services in the IT industry. The association plays a leading role in public policy issues of concern to the IT industry, including taxes and finance policy, intellectual property, critical infrastructure protection, telecommunications law, encryption, securities litigation reform, and human resources policy. ITAA members range from the smallest IT start ups to industry leaders in the software, services, systems integration, telecommunications, Internet, and computer consulting fields. ITAA also serves as one of three Information and Communications (I&C) Sector Coordinators under President Clinton's critical information infrastructure protection (CIIP) Decision Directive 63 (PDD 63). Learn more about ITAA and its positions on the issues by connecting to its web site at http://www.itaa.org.
The computer crimes and intellectual property section of the Department of Justice is responsible for implementing the Department's Computer Crime Initiative, a comprehensive program designed to address the growing global computer crime problem. Section attorneys actively work with other government officials (e.g., the FBI, Department of Defense, NASA) the private sector, academic institutions, and foreign representatives to develop a global response to cyberattacks. For more information about the Department of Justice's computer crimes and intellectual property section, check out its web site http://www.usdoj.gov/criminal/cybercrime/ccips.html.
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