Internet security might be enhanced with tax dollars

WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration is considering creation of a fund that would combine tax dollars and money from the technology industry to pay for Internet security enhancements, according to internal documents from the government's effort to develop a national cyberprotection plan.

Federal officials writing the plan, set to be disclosed this month, also are discussing sweeping new obligations on companies, universities, federal agencies and home users designed to enhance security of the Internet, according to more than 30 pages of working papers obtained by the Associated Press.

The goal is to "empower all Americans to secure their portions of cyberspace," according to one document identified as an executive summary for the National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace.

Other ideas under consideration include:

Improving security of wireless technologies and prohibiting their use in some cases by federal workers.

Spending more to protect computer systems that help operate major utilities like water and power.

Studying ways to respond to cyberattacks when the source of the attacks cannot be distinguished immediately between a hostile government or teenage hacker.

Creating an industry testing center that would make sure software updates don't cause security problems.

Studying the creation of a new government network to handle communications and computing in case of Internet outages.

A White House official cautioned Friday that the ideas cited in the working papers are subject to change until President Bush approves them. Even then, recommendations would have to go through traditional policy and budget processes, which could include congressional approval, the official told the Associated Press.

An updated proposal is expected from the White House next week, with the plan's final release set for Sept. 18 at a news conference at Stanford University attended by FBI director Robert Mueller and top administration officials.

The plan is expected to include more than 80 recommendations and is being assembled by a U.S. advisory board headed by Richard Clarke, a top counterterrorism official in the Bush and Clinton administrations, and Howard Schmidt, a former senior executive at Microsoft Corp.

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