National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace is Born

For years, thieves have had to outmaneuver brilliant security systems on movie screens.  But it seems like security in a digital age has not reached its ultimate stage.  Whether it’s a person at home weary and frazzled by memorizing dozens of passwords or a parent trying to assure that their child is only interacting with peers on the internet, growing technology to protect consumers has a long ways to go.

Recruiters in information, technology, and communications may be interested to see if there are new job openings that develop around a new initiative of the government to protect people and businesses that depend on the internet.

The Obama Administration released the National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace (NSTIC), which seeks to better protect consumers from fraud and identity theft, enhance individuals’ privacy, and foster economic growth by enabling industry both to move more services online and to create innovative new services.  The NSTIC aims to make online transactions more trustworthy, thereby giving businesses and consumers more confidence in conducting business online.

“The Internet has transformed how we communicate and do business, opening up markets, and connecting our society as never before.  But it has also led to new challenges, like online fraud and identity theft, that harm consumers and cost billions of dollars each year,” said President Obama.  “By making online transactions more trustworthy and better protecting privacy, we will prevent costly crime, we will give businesses and consumers new confidence, and we will foster growth and untold innovation.  That’s why this initiative is so important for our economy.”

“We must do more to help consumers protect themselves, and we must make it more convenient than remembering dozens of passwords,” said Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, speaking at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.  “Working together, innovators, industry, consumer advocates, and the government can develop standards so that the marketplace can provide more secure online credentials, while protecting privacy, for consumers who want them.”