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The presidential primaries come to a close today. While Senator John McCain sealed the Republican spot months ago, voters are today at the polls in Montana and South Dakota and by nightfall we may have an uncontested Democratic contender for the nation’s top spot.

We’ve had ample opportunity to assess each of the candidates over the past year from TV and news accounts. In fact, with such fascinating individuals in the spotlight, coverage has been more compelling than any reality show on TV.

While much of the media coverage often tends to reflect more style than substance, we have gained an understanding of the candidates’ positions on the major issues. But, how have they addressed the IT security industry? What are the positions of the presidential candidates on the issues that matter to us in the IT security field?

John McCain, for example, states on his website that he advocates that corporations be allowed to deduct the cost of equipment investment. This would provide, he says, “a valuable pro-growth investment incentive. Expensing of equipment and technology will provide an immediate boost to capital expenditures and reward investments in cutting-edge technologies.”

This could be advantageous for those in the IT security field. Or what about Senator Clinton's take.

She points out that “under the Bush administration, the country that invented the internet has slipped to 25th in the global rankings for broadband deployment.” She urges an acceleration in the deployment of sophisticated networks and proposes that the federal government provide tax incentives to encourage broadband deployment in underserved areas.

On his site, Senator Barack Obama proposes “making government data available online in universally accessible formats to allow citizens to make use of that data to comment, derive value, and take action in their own communities.” He points to greater access to environmental data as an example of how this could benefit the population

All of these are sound ideas that would impact the information security field in positive ways. So we ask you: If you were offered the opportunity to question the presidential hopefuls on matters related to IT security, what would you ask? Please let us know. We have friends in high places.

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