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Washington, D.C. – June 13, 2017 – This week the Coalition for Cybersecurity Policy and Law responded to public request for comment by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative on negotiating objectives regarding the modernization of the North American Free-Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico. This comment is public as of 9:00am EST and can be read in full below.
Cybersecurity is fundamental to security and economic growth in today’s interconnected and complex world that was not prevalent when the trade agreement was first negotiated in 1994. The Coalition comment encourages the U.S. to make cybersecurity prominent in trade discussions and recommends creating a subchapter specifically addressing digital trade to protect both U.S. businesses and consumers. The Coalition also recommends using a standards-based and voluntary approach to risk management, specifically the well-established and highly-regarded National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) framework.
Ari Schwartz, Coordinator of the Coalition and Former Special Assistant for Cybersecurity to President Obama, and members of the Coalition issued the following statement about the importance of including cybersecurity in NAFTA renegotiation:
“Since NAFTA was originally negotiated the digital economy has clearly become more central to the trading relationship of the North America. We encourage the partners to take the existing areas of consensus on cybersecurity around risk management for the new agreement.”
The mission of the Coalition for Cybersecurity Policy & Law is to bring together leading companies to help policymakers develop consensus-driven policy solutions that promote a vibrant and robust cybersecurity ecosystem; support the development and adoption of cybersecurity innovations; and encourage organizations of all sizes to take steps to improve their cybersecurity. For more information, visit www.cybersecuritycoalition.org.
Press Contact
Bri Law
Coalition for Cybersecurity Policy & Law
+1 202 344 4411
BLaw@venable.com