Former National Security Officials Raise Red Flags on Tech Proposals
This week, former national security advisor Robert O’Brien, former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe, former Director of the National Economic Council Larry Kudlow, and other former Trump administration officials sent a letter to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. The letter states that two bills currently being considered in Congress – the American Innovation and Choice Online (AICO) Act and the Open App Markets Act (OAMA) – would put America at a disadvantage compared to some of its foreign adversaries.
The legislation in question would prohibit tech companies from preferencing their own products and would make it difficult to bar potentially malicious actors from their platforms. This has raised red flags from many security experts, with O’Brien and Ratcliffe being just the latest. If implemented, tech companies would have to ask for permission from the government to innovate on matters of security. Malware, no doubt, would become more prevalent.
Among the nations who would be beneficiaries of such a new framework, O’Brien and Ratcliffe mentioned China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran. They also mentioned these bills would be a boon for cyber mercenaries and non-state criminal actors.
Published on June 15, 2022