Defending an Open, Global, Secure, and Resilient Internet

The CFR-sponsored Independent Task Force report, Defending an Open, Global, Secure, and Resilient Internet, finds that as more people and services become interconnected and dependent on the Internet, societies are becoming increasingly vulnerable to cyberattacks. To support security, innovation, growth, and the free flow of information, the Task Force recommends that the United States and its partners work to build a cyber alliance, make the free flow of information a part of all future trade agreements, and articulate an inclusive and robust vision of Internet governance. The Task Force is chaired by John D. Negroponte, former deputy secretary of state and director of national intelligence, and Samuel J. Palmisano, former chairman of the board and CEO of IBM, and is directed by Adam Segal, CFR’s Maurice R. Greenberg Senior Fellow in China Studies. The Task Force includes distinguished members and observers from industry, academia, and nonprofits. Independent Task Force reports are consensus documents that offer analysis and policy prescriptions for major U.S. foreign policy issues facing the United States, developed through private and nonpartisan deliberations among a group of high-level experts.

John D. Negroponte is the former deputy secretary of state and director of national intelligence. Samuel J. Palmisano is the former chairman of the board and CEO of IBM. Adam Segal is the Maurice R. Greenberg senior fellow for China studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.