What Is Government Doing to Protect
American Tech Companies in Foreign Places?
American tech companies are actively expanding into global markets to both grow
their customer bases and access new pools of talent. However, this international reach
also exposes them to new threats to safety and security. For instance, foreign threat
actors including governments regularly target American data and intellectual property.
A security breach can cost a business in numerous ways. Lost data impacts its ability
to continue operations. What’s more, criminals may sell an organization’s confidential
information or commit blackmail. There’s also the threat of fines for failure to protect
sensitive information.
The Government’s Role in Protecting American Tech Companies
against American interests. Foreign countries may also use stolen tech to spy on U.S.
citizens.
As innovation becomes more critical to the economy, there’s growing pressure for the
American government to do more to protect the nation’s tech firms. Otherwise, we risk
the collapse of a company’s—or even the country’s—infrastructure.
Technology fuels everything from businesses and personal activities to military
applications. It’s so widespread that people take it for granted. But the United States
can’t afford serious losses to its IT sector; finance, health, and transportation rely on
secure data. Reinforced policies are necessary.
The Threat of Data Theft to American Tech Companies
As data becomes a more valuable commodity, it’s attracting the attention of criminals.
Thieves who make off with business data can sell it on the black market or exploit it for
themselves. For instance, hackers can drain bank accounts using stored credentials or
threaten to expose customers’ private information to the public.
American tech companies are particularly susceptible to threats because they rank
among the most innovative on the planet. Criminals plot against these organizations
for economic and political gain. They can steal data from company servers or from
American employees working overseas.
Now that people and resources depend heavily on information, the government must
defend it.
The Cost of Data Theft
Companies should know the risks of doing business overseas. For one thing, they’re
vulnerable to data breaches, ransomware, and other attacks. Financial losses can add
up to millions of dollars for a single occurrence. But the loss of reputation and
customers can be even more severe.
And in the aggregate, it’s not just about individual companies—they’re also putting the
country at risk. American security depends on tech leadership. The defense and
finance of the nation are now tied to its technology.
Tech enlarges the size of an attack—a single exploit can affect thousands of
organizations. What’s more, practically everyone is now exposed to data in the cloud.
Medical and financial data are especially vulnerable to hacks. And it’s not just outright
theft that’s a risk, but also the acquisition of sensitive data through corporate mergers
and joint ventures.
For example, foreign companies may offer several times the market value to acquire
American companies. That should raise suspicions. These companies may have close
ties to their governments and may be purchasing American companies for their data
and trade secrets.
How to Improve Current Policies
The U.S. government can improve its defense of American tech companies by
increasing its oversight of international mergers. After all, takeovers risk putting
unique tech in enemy hands. And it’s not just military technology that’s sensitive;
medical technology also exposes U.S. lives to threats and should have stronger
oversight.
Oversight should focus on a combination of risks: corporate takeovers, exports of
sensitive technology, overseas operations, and security policies for data stored in
international cloud facilities. A new federal agency specifically dedicated to this task
would make sense.
Often enough, the U.S. government responds to threats only after tech companies
report them. The government should instead anticipate security risks more actively
and collaborate more closely with the private sector.
At the same time, U.S. government intervention has already slowed down some
investment in American tech companies. Therefore, policies must strike a balance in
which they protect businesses against overseas threats without unduly interfering in
the market.
America Needs Firm Policies in Place
The U.S. intelligence community has recently started advising American tech
companies on emerging technologies to protect. This information should be more
widespread and updated as new advances unfold. For instance, artificial intelligence
(AI) and other developments may overturn the world order. If America wants to remain
ahead, policies must recognize which technologies and companies need defense.
The Chinese and Russian governments are employing all means at their disposal—
including illegal measures—to gain a strategic advantage. They’re willing to hack into
U.S. companies and place insiders to access data.
As a result, America and its tech companies must understand the situation as a
potential conflict and enact policies appropriate to this level of implications. Foreign
governments are attempting to usurp America’s technology lead. Only firm policies will
staunch the loss of data and security.
The foreign powers threatening U.S. technology companies are run by dictators who
don’t share American values. Therefore, the United States should enforce strict
requirements on proposed mergers and joint ventures. It should also spend resources
securing data on particularly important innovations. Finally, violations of American
data security must be found and punished.
Source: Shutterstock
Protecting American Tech Companies
While there’s plenty of opportunity for American tech companies doing business
internationally, there are also plenty of risks. Data breaches have become more
common and larger in size. Foreign attackers are working to undermine the safety and
security of U.S. data—and the American public.
Government protections have only gone so far. More resources geared toward modern
security threats and greater public-private cooperation will help protect American
technology and data. Innovation will continue as policies improve. In the meantime,
tech companies and the people who rely on their products and services must remain
alert.
