The U.S. Department of Commerce recently set up a federal task force to examine the latest Internet protocol, IPv6. The government wants to better understand the impact that the standard could have on Internet security and what the governments role will be in deploying it.
IPv6 proponents tout the protocol as a vehicle for providing new Internet services. IPv6 greatly expands the number of addresses a device connected to the Internet can be associated with.
Concerns about the standard were cited in the Bush administrations National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace, which was released in February. The strategy called for creation of the task force, which will be co-chaired by the Commerce Departments National Telecommunications and Information Administration and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The Department of Homeland Security and other federal offices will also be consulted in the review.