Trump's New Cyber Strategy Designates Crypto and Blockchain as National Protected Technologies

The U.S. government's newly released National Cyber Strategy document formally includes cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology within the scope of national critical infrastructure protection, alongside artificial intelligence and quantum computing, marking a significant shift in policy orientation. The strategy proposes six policy pillars, covering adversary deterrence, critical infrastructure reinforcement, federal system modernization, and regulatory reform. The overall tone is more proactive than in the past, explicitly promising to use cyber tools to "identify, disrupt, and misdirect" potential threat actors, rejecting ambiguous or compromised responses.

The document specifically emphasizes accelerating the deployment of quantum-resistant encryption technology and promoting the construction of AI-based cyber defense systems. Unlike the Biden administration's focus on compliance regulation and law enforcement, this strategy elevates the security of digital assets to the level of national interest, giving it strategic security attributes. At the same time, the document also requires federal agencies to curb the "censorship, monitoring, and misdirection" of overseas AI platforms, implicitly pointing to some Chinese technology infrastructure. The United States' technological leadership in the blockchain field is emphasized within this framework of geopolitical technology competition.

Although the strategy clarifies the direction and priorities, its specific implementation still depends on the execution efforts of various federal agencies and the supporting legislation from Congress, and these key implementation paths are not detailed in the document.