Obama and Cameron pledge to work together on cybersecurity

President Obama and United Kingdom Prime Minister David Cameron agreed to work to together to defend against cyberattacks on private and government computer systems on Wednesday.

The agreement was announced as part of Cameron’s visit to the White House.

{mosads}The leaders promised to focus on protecting the rights of Internet users and condemned Syria and Iran for suppressing their citizens’ ability to speak openly online.

Obama and Cameron said their governments will share information about cyberattacks and will step up joint planning efforts to anticipate and prepare for future online threats. The FBI and the United Kingdom’s Serious Organized Crime Agency will work together to detect fraud and hunt down cybercriminals.

“We cannot be secure in cyberspace without sharing with one another the knowledge of the threats we face, and our policies for confronting them,” the countries said, according to the White House’s fact sheet on the agreement.

The leaders promised to bring technology and Internet connectivity to the world’s poorest countries through international aid, diplomacy and other projects. 

The agreement describes cyberattacks as a threat to “economic security.” The White House also noted that Obama has proposed a framework for cybersecurity legislation and is pushing Congress to enact the measure.