Yesterday, the State Department launched its long-awaited cyberspace and digital policy bureau.
The bureau, which will be led by Senate-confirmed ambassador Jennifer Bachus, will “address the national security challenges, economic opportunities and implications for U.S. values associated with cyberspace, digital technologies and digital policy,” according to the announcement.
The bureau is a signal that the Biden administration is focused on elevating cyberdiplomacy amid the war in Ukraine and a year of devastating ransomware hacks. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to cite attacks on critical organizations like Colonial Pipeline, the war in Ukraine and competing visions for the future of the Internet in a speech today.
“Democracies must answer together the question of whether universal rights and democratic values will be at the center of our digital lives — and whether digital technologies deliver real benefits in people’s lives,” he is stated. “To do that, we need America’s diplomats leading the way. That’s why the work of the CDP Bureau will be so important.”
The CDP bureau includes three policy units: International Cyberspace Security, International Information and Communications Policy, and Digital Freedom.
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