Obama (Photo : Reuters)
President Barrack Obama signed an executive order encouraging tech firms to share their data with the United States government so as to secure fragile data and tackle cybercrime together.
Obama signed the executive order at the first White House summit on Cybersecurity and Consumer Protection at Stanford University.
The summit was all about public and private partnership and consumer protection, which is a current project the White House wanted to push with a primary focus on cyber security, according to The Washington Post.
Obama mentioned these cyberattacks are the most difficult and pressing issues the nation faces with regard to national security, safety and economic problems. He said cyberattack threats could cripple the country's Air Traffic Control system or cause a nationwide power failure.
Certain hacks hurt the economy, leading to lost jobs for the American people. The Sony Pictures hack in 2014 was a solid example of the economic ill effects of cybercrime.
Some of the big tech giants declined the invitation to come to the summit, however. Google, Facebook, and Yahoo! executives did not accept the invites.
Some tech firms are hesitant at the proposal since the relationship between the U.S. government and tech companies has been strained since the government's electronic surveillance was exposed by Edward Snowden, a former NSA contractor, BBC News reported.
Obama supports the establishment of the Information Sharing and Analysis Organizations (ISAOs) to aid tech giants and the government share data on potential threats.
Apple CEO Tim Cook was present at the summit conference.
