Question

How information is obtained and handled? for example the video on YouTube: The future of information (Big Brother)

Answer 1

Our world is changing fast and we are moving into an information age. Unfortunately, many of our systems cannot be properly trusted, and thus our new world provides increased threats against our privacy. Along with this we see the rapid increase in AI and the Internet of Things. So will these integrate seamlessly into our lives, and improve things, or will they become part of a massive spying network.

Cyber security” is a broad term, encompassing a wide range of issues from password protection, personal integrity, data mining, corporate espionage – the list goes on. In a world that grows ever more digital, it becomes increasingly an issue of not just physical or digital security, but also of emotional and social factors. The digital world becomes increasingly integrated with the physical world in a variety of ways, most overtly through the “Internet of Things” – a network of smart devices ranging from cars to phones to doors, and when your possessions all communicate, it opens up a world of tremendous possibilities but also tremendous risks.

Biometric sensors, intelligent devices, and a new and faster mobile Internet through 5G platforms are all developments that will likely facilitate such a world. How will human society and culture be impacted by these technologies? What will we mean by “cyber security” in a future where the distinction between digital and physical is all but meaningless?

It is likely the coming Internet of Things will place a greater demand on individuals to have basic “cyber security literacy”, that is, an understanding of which behaviors are safe or unsafe, and how to manage their own data. This will create a market for cyber security products and services, wherein data is regulated and restricted by different actors who make a living managing, handling and selling information – unless this role is automated and taken up by the block chain or a similar technology. Likely, staying anonymous in such a world will be costly either in terms of time and effort or in money. Efficiency will be increased in most traditional industries as humans and machines can work more closely together, and more effectively.

Fundamentally, the Internet of Things is infrastructure, and like all infrastructure, it will establish an ecosystem and eventually fade into the background. At that point, humans will have become dependent on the smart and connected devices, thinking no more of them than we today think of electricity or running water. Such a dependency creates vulnerability, and we will become forced to place more trust in complex systems managed by increasingly anonymous and unknown actors or groups of people. In such a world, cyber security will cease to be a meaningful word – as trust in smart technology becomes as vital as trust in governments, traffic laws and people on the street.

Big Brother might not see you – but someone will. Who knows? In time, the Internet of Things might even know you better than you do.