Yesterday, U.S. President Joe Biden held a meeting with some of the biggest names in the tech industry, including Apple, Microsoft, Google, Amazon, IBM, and others. While the purpose of the meeting was not disclosed to the public beforehand, there were some speculations that it had to do with the recent cybersecurity threats that the United States has been dealing with of late.
It turned out today that the rumors were correct, when the meeting's proceeding was detailed in a report by Engadget. Cybersecurity was indeed the subject of yesterday's governmental get-together, as the president and the tech giants discussed the prognosis of national cybersecurity advancement in the span of the next five years.
During yesterday's assembly, a couple of these companies were persuaded to pledge some large sums to the development of digital security systems to enhance safety on every level of government, from local to federal. Microsoft ended up pledging the most of the bunch, offering $20 billion for the cause. Googled added half of that, for a combined contribution of a whopping $30 billion.
On Microsoft's part, $150 million of that money will be used right away for training purposes and immediate cybersecurity enhancements, while the rest will be invested gradually as the need arises, over the next five years.
"[Microsoft] will immediately make available $150 million in technical services to help federal, state, and local governments with upgrading security protection," announced the White House following the meeting, "and will expand partnerships with community colleges and non-profits for cybersecurity training."
Google's plan for its own $10 billion contribution is to sponsor 100,000 American cybersecurity researchers to obtain Google Career Certificates over the next three years, as more of a long-term investment plan.
Apple also attended the cybersecurity conference, and although it refrained from pledging hefty dollar amounts like Google and Microsoft, it did promise to enforce stronger security systems across its supply chain, in order to eliminate any potential weak links and ensure maximum digital safety.
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Although Apple's ecosystem is reputed for its tight monitoring and relative online safety, iPhones had recently been the vehicle through which Russian hackers were able to infiltrate U.S. government officials' data, so hopefully Apple's tightening noose will help prevent such future mishaps.
Amazon, in its own right, has promised to make its own company-internal cybersecurity training free and available to the public, although it is usually provided only to its employees.
Other companies who attended the meeting also pledged their support in developing improved cybersecurity systems not only for the United States government, but also for the general public.
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