New Administration Brings New Approach
Waltz’s remarks signal a change in approach for the US government. Previous administrations have placed emphasis on safeguarding critical infrastructure at the expense of preventative measures. In 2023, for instance, President Biden issued his National Cybersecurity Strategy, which sought to “rebalance the responsibility to defend cyberspace by shifting the burden for cybersecurity” onto “organizations that are most capable and and best-positioned to reduce risks for all of us,” as outlined by Brookings.
As part of this, the outgoing President introduced a “liability shift” from software users to vendors that sought to encourage large organizations to bake security best practices into their products, rather than relying on the discretion of the user. It is thought that President-elect Trump will not favor carrying this policy forward, as it involves regulation of the private sector.
With Elon Musk, the newly appointed head of the Department of Government Efficiency, at his side, cutting red tape and regulations is expected to be high on the agenda. Both men are known advocates of light-touch regulation, and are unlikely to be supportive of legislation that pulls guardrails around the tech sector.
