Principal Investigator Daniel Weitzner
Co-investigators Gerald Sussman , Howard Shrobe , Silvio Micali , Stuart Madnick , Andrew Lo , Nancy Leveson , John Leonard , Harold Abelson , M Kaashoek , Shafrira Goldwasser , Peter Diamond , Nazli Choucri , David Clark
Project Website https://internetpolicy.mit.edu/
The MIT Cybersecurity Policy Initiative (CPI) is one of three new academic initiatives to receive a total of $45 million in support through the Hewlett Foundation’s Cyber Initiative. Simultaneous funding to MIT, Stanford University, and the University of California at Berkeley is intended to jump-start a new field of cyber policy research. The idea is to generate a robust “marketplace of ideas” about how best to enhance the trustworthiness of computer systems while respecting individual privacy and free expression rights, encouraging innovation, and supporting the broader public interest.
The mission of the Internet Policy Research Initiative is to work with policy makers and technologists to increase the trustworthiness and effectiveness of interconnected digital systems. We will accomplish this through engineering and public policy research, education and engagement.
In our increasingly connected digital world, cybersecurity threats are proliferating, causing new risks in domains as diverse as armed conflict, commercial activity, the conduct of democracy, and individuals' private lives. Even though the private sector has a critical role in cybersecurity, in the end, we look to governments to ensure that such large-scale risks are mitigated. Indeed, there is no shortage of public policy action.
With the generous support of the Hewlett Foundation, MIT has created the Internet Policy Research Initiative to bring together the best of MIT’s engineering, social science, and management insight to this most vexing challenge. Our goal is helping guide governments and private sector institutions around the world in framing sustainable, effective Internet and cybersecurity policy.