US President Barack Obama to encourage info-sharing on cyber security threats

San Francisco: President Barack Obama wants members of the private sector to share information about threats to cyber security with each other and with the federal government. The White House says such information-sharing will help U.S. businesses work together to respond to costly and potentially crippling data breaches.

Obama plans to sign an executive order Friday encouraging the creation of organisations where leads about cyber security threats can be shared and analysed. The order will also direct the Department of Homeland Security to work on voluntary standards for these organisations.

The White House says rapid sharing of information is a key defence against threats to security in cyberspace.

Obama was signing the order in conjunction with a White House summit on cyber security and consumer protection at Stanford University that he's attending.