International public-private cybersecurity partnership launched at World Economic Forum

An international public-private partnership called the Global Centre for Cybersecurity was launched last week during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, to assess and tackle global cybersecurity challenges.

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen highlighted U.S. efforts to enhance global security standards to crack down on international terrorist travel. Those efforts include more sharing of information by airlines, including Passenger Name Record (PNR) data, and the use of biometric data to make travel across borders more safe and efficient.

“…Recognizing that an organization’s risk doesn’t end at the network’s edge, among other efforts, DHS is prioritizing expanded information sharing with the private sector, a priority outlined in President Trump’s most recent National Security Strategy,” the Department of Homeland Security Press Office stated. “This approach, rooted in the concept of collective defense, underscores the need to share as broadly as possible to dramatically reduce known threats and vulnerabilities, freeing up organizations to focus on more sophisticated threats.”

Nielsen also emphasized the importance of fighting domestic and home-grown terrorists that use the internet to spread propaganda, recruit terrorists, plot attacks, and crowdsource attacks.

“DHS is finding more effective ways to identify terrorists, and working with international and industry partners to find innovative ways to detect and disrupt their plots,” DHS stated. “There is robust and ongoing engagement between the U.S. Government and the technology sector to increase efforts to counter terrorists’ use of the internet, including countering terrorist messaging online.”