White House Planning Appointments for Technology Security

The White House is planning to nominate a former intelligence agency chairman and a high-ranking Commerce Department official to shape the way information technology is used in the fight against terrorism, according to government and technology industry sources. The nominees will be key players in the new Department of Homeland Security and would be profoundly influential on a range of technology issues, including protecting the nation's online infrastructure, directing the development of new surveillance and defense technologies and preserving the privacy rights of ordinary citizens.