Thune wants cooperation for cyber security plan

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Senator John Thune gathered some of South Dakota’s top minds in information technology for a discussion about how to improve cyber security.

They met on the DSU campus in Madison, Friday. The goal is to find ways to work together more effectively.

They came from banking, agriculture, health care, business, government, and education. Experts in cyber security in their fields. Right now, every state is doing its own thing, and Senator John Thune would like to see more collaboration.

“How do we do this is a way that protects the rights of states that kind of have their policies as well but in a way that creates sort of a national consensus around this that enables us as best possible to make sure countries like China aren’t hacking into people’s information and using it against us. It’s become a form of warfare, really,” Thune said.

DSU President José Marie Griffiths says the increased use of artificial intelligence techniques and surveillance, both overt and covert, needs to be addressed.

“I’m not really talking big brother here, but data collected by everyone,” Griffiths said. “Go buy something in the store, and you’re on camera at the point of sale. There are photographs being taken of you. All your biometrics are being taken, and you may not be aware of it.”

Each expert from different sectors described what they are doing to protect information and some talked about the challenges ahead.

“All these different sectors of our economy in this country that manage information in different ways, and I think hopefully what we want to do is, if possible, coming out of this, come up with some general recommendations that create a national framework,” said Thune.

Thune says DSU was the perfect place to hold this roundtable discussion because the school is preparing the workforce for the front lines of future cyber warfare.