Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios
Craig Newmark Philanthropies announced plans to spend more than $50 million on grants to educate Americans about, and protect them from, cybersecurity threats.
Why it matters: A wave of security breaches has shown no sign of ebbing, while knowledge of how to foil attackers remains scarce outside of expert circles, and Russia's invasion of Ukraine heightens the risk to companies and individuals.
Details: According to a Newmark Philanthropies statement, Newmark's "cyber civil defense" initiative will focus on:
- expanding cybersecurity education and literacy;
- opening career opportunities in the cybersecurity field in an "inclusive manner";
- and developing security tools and services for protecting individuals and small businesses.
The effort will be managed by the Aspen Institute’s Aspen Digital program.
What they're saying: "American and western democracy are at risk,” Newmark said in the statement. “As individuals, we're also under attack. We need to work together to protect each other and democratic ideals in the digital world."