White House Candidates: Where’s your Cybersecurity Platform?

Despite cyber-security becoming an increasingly relevant in the 2016 Presidential race, none of the major candidates (Clinton, Sanders, Rubio, Cruz, Trump) dedicate so much as a sentence in their online position summaries to the issue. Hillary Clinton has declared that “we will not tolerate” foreign attacks on American cyber infrastructure during the Feb. 3, 2016, New Hampshire Primary debate, though she failed to specify how we would not tolerate any attacks. Donald Trump claims he would consider “shutting down parts of the internet” due to ISIS using online means of recruitment, and that he plans to use private companies such as Apple for encryption and hacking, an issue which Apple CEO Tim Cook has called “chilling.” Though sparse on substance and displaying a clear lack of understanding concerning cyber-security, the two frontrunners have been more outspoken on the subject than the three remaining serious candidates. Any potential nominee who projects a solid cyber platform will inevitably gain momentum with a younger demographic that understands the necessity of a well-formed cyber security plan. As the issue grows, look for candidates to invest more energy and substance into a rapidly growing platform.