The Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT), an online privacy and civil liberties group, also praised Obama's announcement. While the U.S. government needs to better protect computer networks, that doesn't mean it will track users online or intercept communications, Obama said. The office of the cybersecurity coordinator will also include a chief privacy officer, he said.

CDT is also happy that the White House, and not the secretive National Security Agency, will lead cybersecurity efforts, the group said.

"It's clear that the White House review team was committed to building privacy into these cybersecurity policy recommendations from the beginning of the process," CDT President and CEO Leslie Harris, said in a statement. "Further, we are greatly encouraged by the Administration's strong commitment to develop its cybersecurity privacy policies in a collaborative manner with those in the private sector."

Other statements in reaction to the White House report:

-- Shannon Kellogg, director of information security policy at EMC and a member of the National Cyber Security Alliance Board of Directors: "Public-private partnerships are critical to the success of a comprehensive cybersecurity public service campaign. A true collaboration among government agencies, nonprofits and private companies will enable us to empower our citizens to protect themselves and, in turn, make our country's overall cyber defenses stronger."