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US and Canada Launch Joint Cybersecurity Plan
wiredmikey writes "Canada and the United States announced Friday they were launching a joint cybsersecurity plan that aims to better protect critical digital infrastructure and improve the response to cyber incidents. Under the action plan, the US Department of Homeland Security and Public Safety Canada will cooperate to protect vital cyber systems and respond to and recover from any cyber disruptions, by improving collaboration on managing cyber incidents between their respective cyber security operation centers, enhancing information sharing and engagement with the private sector and pursuing US-Canadian collaboration to promote cyber security awareness to the public."
Under the action plan, the US Department of Homeland Security and Public Safety Canada will cooperate to
send lots of money in no bid contracts to major campaign donors
improve the response to cyber incidents
fill viagra prescriptions for pennies on the dollar in Canada?
"Science flies us to the moon. Religion flies us into buildings." - Victor Stenger
Apparently TFA was an attempt to use the word cyber as many times as cybernetically possible in a single cyber article.
"Cyber Canada and the Cyber United States announced Cyber Friday they were cyber-launching a cyber-joint cybsersecurity cyberplan that cyberaims to cyberbetter cyberprotect cybercritical cyberdigital cyberstructure and cyberimprove the cyberresponse to cybercyber cyberincidents. Under the cyberaction cyberplan, the Cyber US Cyber Department of Cyber Homeland Cyber Security and Cyber Public Cyber Safety Cyber Canada will cybercooperate to cyberprotect cybervital cybercyber cybersystems and cyberrespond to and cyberrecover from any cybercyber cyberdisruptions, by cyberimproving cybercollaboration on cybermanaging cybercyber cyberincidents cyberbetween their cyberrespective cybercyber cybersecurity cyberoperation cybercenters, cyberenhancing cyberinformation cybersharing and cyberengagement with the cyberprivate cybersector and cyberpursuing Cyber-US-Cyber-Canadian cybercollaboration to cyberpromote cybercyber cybersecurity cyberawareness to the cyberpublic."
Welcome to the 1980!
Have a nice cyberday in cyberspace!
Great. Since the net infrastructure of both countries is tightly interconnected, this means that whenever the US wants to do something shady, they can now do it it Canada, and viceversa. In fact, it makes it very easy to bypass local law and regulations...
For those not up on our current government, what really happened was the American government phoned up Canada and said "We've decided that you need to tie your cyber infrastructure into ours, and accept whatever controls we demand of it."
Where upon our Prime Minister jumps to his feet, tugs his forelock and chirps "Yes! Sir!"
Three Squirrels
Since it doesn't take millions of dollars to figure out "don't connect critical infrastructure to the internet", I assume this is more pandering to the corporations/media industries and not really about protection of infrastructure..
If you define "sane" as "brown-nosing kid sucking up to the class bully", then yes. Where for "class" you can read "NATO". Europe already provides a direct pipeline of all our data for the US' perusal, without expecting anything in return.
More specifically in the Netherlands, all the current minister AND his sidekick of "justice and security" seem to be able to do is to look at the UK and the USoA and then find "reasons" why the very worst of both are just the thing for already-regulated-to-the-gills the Netherlands.
More cyber? They want it. Cameras? They think that a great idea. More phone and internet tapping? Already being at the top of the per-capita list is not enough. More "extreme porn laws"? They say we "need" them. Cencorship? They think it's lovely, if only they knew of a way to slip it past us. Laws to force you to hand over encryption keys? They say it helps against terrorist paedophile copyright pirates.
Basically the only thing they've done during their term is come up with registration requirements and systems to track your every move, spout nonsense about "real needs for tougher stances on crime" when crime numbers are the lowest in years already, and jack up fines and admonish police to issue more citations, to the point where the police are now refusing to issue fines because they're unjustifiably high.
And they're both up for a second term. If you want sanity, look not at Europe, certainly not at the Netherlands. You have a better chance in Germany, truth be told, though with their wish for a free trade treaty with the US, that won't last long. I wish it were otherwise, but your cultural and regulatory influence is actually more strongly felt here than on your side of the pond. Really.
Maybe you could try one of those banana republics the CIA sold out so thoroughly half a century back, some seem to be recovering. Things seem to be looking up in Cuba, of all places.