Sec of Commerce Pritzker Delivers Keynote at Commerce's Cybersecurity Summit

US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker delivered a keynote address to executives, technology industry leaders, and high-ranking government and national security officials at the US Chamber of Commerce’s fifth-annual Cybersecurity Summit in Washington, DC. During her remarks, Sec Pritzker argued for fundamentally changing the value proposition for businesses to engage with federal agencies on cyberthreats, pointing to the risk of punitive action as a deterrent for the dynamic, continuous collaboration between industry and government necessary to secure the digital economy. Sec Pritzker called for federal agencies and businesses to fully embrace a common language for cyberrisk management, highlighted the need for new legal structures to support greater public-private sector cooperation, and urged industry and government to work together to design and deploy technical solutions for emerging threats in cyberspace.

Sec Pritzker is floating the idea of giving businesses "reverse Miranda" rights so that they can discuss cyberattacks with officials without risking any punishment. Sec Pritzker said that with regulations and Federal Trade Commission actions there are often civil, legal and regulatory risks that discourage businesses from acknowledging cyberattacks. She said that led to a relationship between regulators and businesses that is “inherently adversarial, not collaborative."