By Jeff Mason
PALO ALTO, Ca., Feb 13 (Reuters) – President Barack Obama asked tech industry executives on Friday for closer cooperation in defending against hackers after high-profile attacks against companies like Sony that exposed weaknesses in America’s cyber defenses.
–
Obama signed an executive order aimed at encouraging companies to share more cyber threat data through “information sharing and analysis organizations” – hubs where companies share information with each other and with the Department of Homeland Security.
It is one step in a long effort to make companies as well as privacy and consumer advocates more comfortable with proposed legislation that would offer firms protection from being sued for handing over customer information to the government. (Additional reporting by Joseph Menn, Julia Edwards and Amanda Becker; writing by Alistair Bell; Editing by Christian Plumb)
