On Friday 16, President Barack Obama said the United States was going to respond to Chinese and Russian cyber-attacks. The President met Steve Inskeep at the White House to have an exclusive interview aired by BBC.
Barack Obama said there was a “traditional understanding” among “big powers” in which everybody tries to get intel on the others.
He explained it was common the Russian Intelligence, for example, sought to learn about the secret plans of the Chinese government or any other country, for that matter.
He said that kind of intelligence gathering was typical. However, when a country uses that information to affect another nation, it is where he draws the line.
Obama made reference to the hack attacks that occurred shortly after Donald Trump was declared the winner of the Presidential Elections 2016.
Obama said the US has to prepare for global cyberwarfare in the next decades
Obama said the United States Government was going to spend the coming decades figuring out “what the new game is.”
He explained the North American economy is more sophisticated and wealthy than most countries which left them exposed to a particular kind of threats.
The acting President said the country was going to learn how to play defense again and develop offensive strategies.
Obama said the Chinese government engaged in heavy industrial espionage. They stole business information and patent designs to wage an economic war on the United States.
Those events piled up until Barack Obama met with the Chinese President. Basically, the US President told Xi Jinping if his government did not stop the hacks against US organizations, they would have to take a series of measures.
From the interview, it is easy to see the President of the United States thinks the Russian attempts to tamper with the elections were a direct threat to National Security.
According to Obama, the problem goes beyond the United States’ borders. The president told Inskeep global organizations like the G20 needed to adopt a series of rules, so there are clear guidelines for everybody to follow.
Will Donald Trump continue Obama’s measures against international hackers?
When Steve Inskeep asked Obama what would happen to his plans against industrial espionage after Trump assumes the presidency in January, the President said it was not a matter of political parties anymore.
However, it is clear he is concerned about the lack of consistency the Republican Party showed during his two mandates.
One of the main reasons the Republicans criticized Barack Obama was for being too soft on the Russians. But times change and the newly elected President Trump who wants to have better relationships with Russia.
Source: NPR YouTube Channel