President Barack Obama will address the White House Summit on Cybersecurity and Consumer Protection at Stanford on Friday, Feb. 13. (Photo courtesy White House)

President Obama visits Stanford for White House Cyber Summit

Stanford will welcome President Barack Obama to the campus Friday, Feb. 13, where he will address the Summit on Cybersecurity and Consumer Protection, joining senior leaders from the White House and across the federal government; CEOs from a wide range of industries including the financial services industry, technology and communications companies; computer security companies and the retail industry; as well as law enforcement officials, consumer advocates, technical experts, and students who will gather to discuss pressing issues at the all-day summit organized by the White House.

President Obama is expected to deliver remarks during a morning session, which will be held in Memorial Auditorium. The Summit will continue in Cemex Auditorium at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. The invitation-only event will not be open to the public, but Stanford students will be able to register for a lottery to obtain tickets. Stanford faculty, students and staff members currently researching cyber-related issues have been invited to take part in panels and conversations.

The entire Summit on Cybersecurity and Consumer Protection will be Webcast live for those unable to attend in person, and more details will be posted at WhiteHouse.gov/CyberSummit.

The event will mark the first time that a sitting U.S. President has made public remarks at Stanford since 1975, when then President Gerald Ford dedicated the Crown Quadrangle at the Stanford Law School. President Herbert Hoover addressed students at Stanford in 1932, and President Theodore Roosevelt spoke at Stanford in 1903. President Bill Clinton was a visitor to campus during his presidency, but in his private capacity as a Stanford parent to daughter Chelsea Clinton.

The campus community can expect further information about parking and transportation changes as a result of the President's visit as event details are finalized.

President Obama announced the Summit on Cybersecurity and Consumer Protection on Jan. 13 at the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center, and said "It's going to bring everybody together – industry, tech companies, law enforcement, consumer and privacy advocates, law professors who are specialists in the field, as well as students – to make sure that we work through these issues in a public, transparent fashion."

From increasing cybersecurity information sharing to improving adoption of more secure payment technologies, topics listed by the White House that the summit will address:

Public-Private Collaboration on Cybersecurity

Improving Cybersecurity Practices at Consumer-Oriented Businesses and Organizations

Promoting More Secure Payment Technologies

Cybersecurity Information Sharing

International Law Enforcement Cooperation on Cybersecurity

Improving Authentication: Moving Beyond the Password

Stanford announced a major Cyber Initiative in November that will apply broad campus expertise to the diverse challenges cyber-technologies pose for virtually every facet of our personal, governmental and economic lives. Funded with a $15 million grant from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Stanford Cyber Initiative draws upon Stanford's experience with multi-disciplinary, university-wide initiatives to focus research on the core themes of trustworthiness, governance and the unexpected impacts of technological change.

Students interested in registering for the student ticket lottery can consult the Stanford Ticket Office website for further information.