Trump Administration Revisits Cybersecurity Policies, Targets Biden and Obama-Era Rules
In a move signaling a significant shift in cybersecurity strategy, the Trump administration has rolled back several policies established during the Obama and Biden presidencies. President Trump signed an executive order on Friday, effectively revising and repealing key cybersecurity measures put in place by his Democratic predecessors.
The administration, in a White House fact sheet, justified the action by claiming that former President Biden’s Executive Order 14144, signed shortly before leaving office, contained “problematic and distracting issues” that complicated cybersecurity policy.
One of the most notable changes involves digital identity documents. Biden’s order had encouraged agencies to consider accepting digital IDs for public benefit programs. The Trump administration rescinded this provision, arguing that it could lead to “widespread abuse by enabling illegal immigrants to improperly access public benefits.”
However, this decision has drawn criticism. Mark Montgomery, senior director at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation, told Politico that the focus on revoking digital ID mandates “is prioritizing questionable immigration benefits over proven cybersecurity benefits.”
The executive order also addresses the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in cybersecurity. Trump removed Biden’s requirements for testing AI in defending energy infrastructure, funding AI security research, and directing the Pentagon to utilize AI models for cybersecurity.
According to the White House, these changes aim to refocus AI cybersecurity strategy “towards identifying and managing vulnerabilities, rather than censorship.” This aligns with concerns voiced by Trump’s allies in Silicon Valley, who have expressed concerns about AI “censorship.”
Further revisions include the removal of requirements for agencies to adopt quantum-resistant encryption “as soon as practicable” and for federal contractors to attest to the security of their software. The White House characterized these requirements as “unproven and burdensome software accounting processes that prioritized compliance checklists over genuine security investments.”
The Trump administration also repealed Obama-era policies concerning sanctions for cybersecurity attacks on the United States, limiting their application to “foreign malicious actors.” The White House stated that this change will prevent “misuse against domestic political opponents” and clarify that “sanctions do not apply to election-related activities.”
