Administration of Joseph R. Biden, Jr., 2023

March 1, 2023

Digital technologies today touch nearly every aspect of American life. The openness and connection enabled by access to the Internet are game-changers for communities everywhere, as we have all experienced throughout the COVIDâ19 pandemic. That's why, thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, my Administration is investing $65 billion to make sure every American has access to reliable, high-speed Internet. And when we pick up our smart phones to keep in touch with loved ones, log on to social media to share our ideas with one another, or connect to the Internet to run a business or take care of any of our basic needs, we need to be able to trust that the underlying digital ecosystem is safe, reliable, and secure. This National Cybersecurity Strategy details the comprehensive approach my Administration is taking to better secure cyberspace and ensure the United States is in the strongest possible position to realize all the benefits and potential of our digital future.

Cybersecurity is essential to the basic functioning of our economy, the operation of our critical infrastructure, the strength of our democracy and democratic institutions, the privacy of our data and communications, and our national defense. From the very beginning of my Administration, we have moved decisively to strengthen cybersecurity. I appointed senior cybersecurity officials at the White House and issued an Executive Order on Improving the Nation's Cybersecurity. Working in close cooperation with the private sector, my Administration has taken steps to protect the American people from hackers, hold bad actors and cybercriminals accountable, and defend against the increasingly malicious cyber campaigns targeting our security and privacy. And we've worked with our allies and partners around the world to improve our capacity to collectively defend against and respond to cyber threats from authoritarian states that go against our national interests.

This strategy recognizes that robust collaboration, particularly between the public and private sectors, is essential to securing cyberspace. It also takes on the systemic challenge that too much of the responsibility for cybersecurity has fallen on individual users and small organizations. By working in partnership with industry; civil society; and State, local, Tribal, and territorial governments, we will balance the responsibility for cybersecurity to be more effective and more equitable. We will realign incentives to favor long-term investments in security, resilience, and promising new technologies. We will collaborate with our allies and partners to strengthen norms of responsible state behavior, hold countries accountable for irresponsible behavior in cyberspace, and disrupt the networks of criminals behind dangerous cyberattacks around the globe. And we will work with the Congress to provide the resources and tools necessary to ensure effective cybersecurity practices are implemented across our most critical infrastructure.

As I have often said, our world is at an inflection point. That includes our digital world. The steps we take and choices we make today will determine the direction of our world for decades to come. This is particularly true as we develop and enforce rules and norms for conduct in cyberspace. We must ensure the internet remains open, free, global, interoperable, reliable, and secureâanchored in universal values that respect human rights and fundamental freedoms.

Digital connectivity should be a tool that uplifts and empowers people everywhere, not one used for repression and coercion. As this strategy details, the United States is prepared to meet this challenge from a position of strength, leading in lockstep with our closest allies and working with partners everywhere who share our vision for a brighter digital future.

Joe Biden

NOTE: This statement was released by the Office of the Press Secretary on March 2 as part of the National Security Strategy.

Categories: Statements by the President : National Cybersecurity Strategy.

Subjects: Broadband and wireless technologies; Consumer data security, strengthening efforts; COVIDâ19 pandemic; Cybersecurity, strengthening efforts; Identity theft and consumer fraud, protection efforts; National Cybersecurity Strategy.

DCPD Number: DCPD202300176.