Safety in Cyberspace

Last month the Cyber Security Challenge was launched to help find the UK’s future internet security experts.  Growing concerns over safety on the web, coupled with a shortage of technical talent, has prompted the series of online games and competitions aimed at encouraging greater interest in the field of cyber security.

For some, the Challenge could be a seen as an acknowledgement that widespread concerns about internet security are well founded.  Growing concern and government intervention regarding privacy and the way in which information is used and shared online is on the increase. 

The anxiety is understandable.  Good or bad, once published in cyberspace, a blog, comment or tweet will always exist. On an organisational level, this has implications for the authenticity of brands as one indiscreet tweet could undermine the reputation as an employer.  On a personal level, it has far greater consequences.  Just this week, Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google has warned internet users about the damaging consequences of sharing too much information online.  Even if individuals set high standards in terms of what, when and with whom they share information, it doesn’t stop searches including content about them that may appear on the Facebook pages of friends and family members.  This in turn can be searched and found by future employers, and it is hard to imagine how existing employment and discrimination legislation could be enforced if a person is discounted, consciously or not, through the results of an internet search.

Aside from the issues that exist within the system, there are also those security threats which attempt to break it.  This week, Facebook members have been advised to avoid a new scam aimed at extracting greater personal details and information from their profile pages.

And yet, despite all this, the digital world is an integral part of our society.  Incredibly, 25 million Britons are now on Facebook.  Amazon predicts that e-books will be outselling the traditional paperback by the end of 2011.  As the volume of online content increases, and the numbers of people accessing and sharing data also continues to rise, we will each need to reassess the ground rules.  Organisations and individuals alike will need to find new ways to adapt to the changing landscape.  Our appreciation and definition of ‘privacy’ is already changing, and will no doubt continue to evolve.  Against this backdrop, the current government efforts to find the brightest security talent can only help that process and work towards a safer, more inclusive online future.

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