Irish cybersecurity expert Paul C. Dwyer has called for an Anglo-Irish Cyber Task Force in the wake of Brexit negotiations that, according to him, are not addressing the “the concerns of the digital community and digital borders on matters relating to cybersecurity and data protection.” Dwyer is the President of the International Cyber Threat Task Force, an online community consisting 4,000 business professionals from more than 100 countries. Formed seven years ago, the community works toward “protecting children, individuals, small businesses, NGOs, enterprises and supporting the efforts of military and the global law-enforcement community”.
Dwyer emphasized on the problems that Brexit could bring to business and cybersecurity communities. Brexit’s implication on the existing laws governing professionals in cybersecurity, privacy, and data-protection sectors is a major concern among these communities.
““Many Irish and UK businesses don’t want to bet on the negotiations between the EU and the UK going well. The awareness among these businesses of the threats posed by cyber criminals is growing rapidly. The overwhelming array of sophisticated cyber attack techniques and the sheer amount of cyber criminals combined with a potential legal impotency post-Brexit is a real concern for many businesses,” he said.
He suggested a joint cross sector approach be taken by the joint cyber task force with Ireland taking the lead in handling the challenges arising from Brexit as well as new EU cyber legislation. A combined effort of the task force and the governments would help in protecting businesses in Ireland and the UK.
