So, Obama basically ordered tech firms to attend a "summit" where he explained that he had issued an executive order intended to foster communication to make tech companies "safer from cyber attacks" as if tech companies are the ones who are really vulnerable to them...
This reeks of "I can't get congress to pass legislation, so I'm going to come at you with all my executive authority and twist your arm into stopping your resistance to us sucking up all net and telecom traffic in the world."
from wired:
The executive order "calls for a common set of standards, including protection for privacy and civil liberties” and is intended to make it easier for companies to get the classified cyber-threat information that they need to protect themselves. “Classified threat information can often provide valuable context to network defenders and enhance their ability to protect their systems,” the order reads.
The order establishes the Department of Homeland Security as the agency in charge of handling the information sharing. The latter is no doubt designed to alleviate fears about the National Security Agency taking a lead role and possibly using the information for surveillance purposes.
DHS will oversee the collection and dissemination of information to the appropriate federal agencies and to the private sector through so-called Information Sharing and Analysis Organizations. These are various groups or communities formed of companies, government agencies or non-profit groups with a common interest in various sectors so that they can share information relevant to them—for example, companies in the financial sector or the energy sector.
The order further requires DHS to work with the attorney general to develop guidelines for how the government collects and handles the shared data. The shared data would include “indicators of compromise.” These can be the IP addresses from which attacks occur, malware samples and phishing emails and other information about techniques attackers use to gain access to systems.
The Executive Order does not give companies protection from liability when they share information; lawmakers will have to do that through legislation. This has been a sticking point for civil liberties groups with many of the cybersecurity laws proposed so far. When companies discuss legal immunity it harkens back to the immunity that lawmakers gave telecoms after the Bush administration’s warrantless surveillance program was unearthed in 2005. "
the rest is here: http://www.wired.com/2015/02/president-obama-signs-order-encourage-shari...