Trump Rolls Back Obama-Era Rules On Cyberattacks
The move signals an increase in U.S Cyberattacks. It's unclear which rules are replacing the Obama-era directive
In the recent news, the Trump administration rolled back a series of Obama-era rules meant to regulate and coordinate how the US engages in cyber attacks, portraying the rules as unnecessarily restrictive.
Trump has reversed few regulations of “Presidential Policy Directive 20,” set in place processes for approval before anyone government agency could launch a cyber attack.
It’s unclear what new rules if any, the Trump administration has implemented instead, but a former senior U.S. official expressed concern to the Journal concluding that the new rules might now permit domestic activities and called it an “offensive step forward.”
Trump officials contend Directive 20 was more of an impediment than a useful framework for interagency communication, a stance that could signal an increase in the U.S. engaging in such attacks moving forward.
Trump’s national security adviser John Bolton was reportedly a driving force behind the decision.
Further, the classified policy was made public in 2013 when it was leaked by former intelligence contractor Edward Snowden.
