White House Hires a New Cybersecurity Boss

TheGift73 writes "Last week, longtime chief Howard Schmidt stepped down. He's been replaced by Michael Daniel, who's been in the Office of Management and Budget's national security division for 17 years. What does that mean for the future of the cybersecurity issue? Probably that we can expect his knowledge of the intelligence community to play a part in not just tracking down hackers, but determining the lines that need to be crossed with future SOPA-like bills. So while this sounds like a relatively nondescript appointment, Daniel will almost definitely be a major player the next time someone comes for your internet."

Comments

Re:In November, Romney reigns supreme

[msailors]

Hi, you must be new here. And by here I mean America.

Big surprise

[Sparticus789]

Another faceless bureaucrat put in charge of something to which he has a vague comprehension. So if he worked national security for OMB, does that mean he is an accountant that finds terrorists?

I'm sure Al-Qaeda is shaking in their boots. "Please don't audit me!"

Great, more 'bosses' and 'czars'

[Anonymous Coward]

I confess a lack of well-versedness with the subtleties of Presidential privilege, but I can't shake the feeling that the appointment of these "bosses," "czars," and other authority figures is somehow an attempt at an end-run around rule of law, similar to the way the FCC can impose restrictions, levy fines, and carry out other actions without Congressional approval.

Convenient timing, too, what with SOPA crashing and burning and ACTA looking like its fate is grim.

If this is going to be a regular thing, can we at least mandate that for every new "czar" appointed, some other official gets shitcanned? I nominate John S. Pistole for next pink-slip recipient.

CISPA

[CanEHdian]

Howard Schmidt was critical of CISPA in public. Goodbye, Howard. Notice how he isn't yet picked up by neither RIAA or MPAA? TFA sums it up best to what Michael Daniel's job will be: "determining the lines that need to be crossed with future SOPA-like bills."