The White House is putting together an executive order, to be issued by President Obama, that would create a new “interagency Cybersecurity Council,” under the umbrella of the Department of Homeland Security, The Washington Post reported Friday.

The order, which is currently in its draft stages at 4-pages long and could take months to be finished, according to the Post, would also administer new voluntary standards of cyber protection measures to private companies, namely, those in charge of national infrastructure deemed critical — think power plants, water treatment facilities, railroads and telecommunications networks. Right now, there are few federal mechanisms to force companies to create and maintain their own cyber security measures.

The order is being contemplated following Congress’s vote in early August not to move forward with leading cybersecurity legislation that would have set up a similar system. The bill’s failure was cheered by Web freedom and user advocates, who feared it could lead to privacy intrusions.

From talkingpointsmemo.com at http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/wapo-white-house-pursuing-cybersecurity-executive-order