In a joint policy statement released on April 10, 2014, the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) and Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) officially encouraged companies, including direct competitors, to share cyber threat information with one another when it announced that “properly designed sharing of cyber threat information should not raise antitrust concerns.” While the statement does not represent a significant policy shift, it is interesting because DOJ and FTC are actively encouraging companies to share this type of information.

The joint statement is consistent with the guidance in President Obama’s 2013 Executive Order on Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity (see our coverage here), which also encouraged the sharing of information regarding cyber threats. The statement also highlights the increasing private and public concern over cyber threat vulnerability, which is quickly becoming “one of the most serious economic and national security challenges we face as a nation.”