White House launches a cybersecurity label program for consumers

The White House announced Tuesday the official launch of the U.S. Cyber Trust Mark, a cybersecurity labeling initiative aimed at enhancing the security of internet-connected devices. The initiative tackles rising consumer concerns about the security vulnerabilities of “smart” devices essential to modern homes. As households become more dependent on interconnected gadgets — with a 2023 Deloitte study revealing that the average U.S. household has 21 connected devices — the threat of cyberattacks becomes increasingly significant. These threats include hackers gaining unauthorized access to home security systems and illicit recordings through unsecured cameras. The Cyber Trust Mark aims to reassure users by offering clear security evaluations of the products they use every day. Anne Neuberger, the White House’s deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technology, told reporters Tuesday that consumers don’t have the confidence that they can connect a device at home and know that their private pictures and communications will be secure and the new program takes on that problem in a bipartisan and voluntary way. President Joe Biden on Saturday signed into law the Government Service Delivery Improvement Act, legislation that targets improving customer service interactions with the government. The bill was first introduced by Reps. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., Byron Donalds, R-Fla., Barry Loudermilk, R-Ga., and William Timmons, R-S.C., in October 2023. Now as law, it requires the Office of Management and Budget to choose a senior official as a “Federal Government Service Delivery Lead” to coordinate government service delivery improvement within agencies. That service delivery lead would also work with new agency-appointed senior officials, who must be named within a year of the bill’s enactment, to oversee their organizations’ delivery improvements. The Daily Scoop Podcast is available every Monday-Friday afternoon. If you want to hear more of the latest from Washington, subscribe to The Daily Scoop Podcast  on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Spotify and YouTube.