Security

Overview

Question:

Will we be facing increasingly unconventional threats by 2030? What growing trends are there in physical and cyber security?

Submit Trends:http://crowdsensor.mit.edu/trends/2016/security
Rules:All entrants must agree to the Crowdsensor rules and Terms of Use
Deadline: Friday, September 30 at 11:59:59 PM Singapore Time

 

 

Background

In the past, warfare was waged on battlefields in circumscribed geographical regions involving physical weapons such as riffles, artillery, and missiles.  Today, however, warfare has become highly unconventional, crossing boundaries and employing tactics ranging from cyber disruptions of critical infrastructure, to terrorist attacks on civilians, to psychological appeals to radical causes.

Modes of conflict have become increasingly diverse, requiring security to be considered from multiple perspectives. While military capabilities such as missiles, tanks or air support may have sufficed in the past, the task of ensuring security has now become increasingly intertwined with citizens’ daily lives, in order to defend against potential attacks from various sources. Our airports have become one of the best reflections of the changing nature of security, with counter measures becoming increasingly stringent as new threats have emerged. From foiling travelers possessing incendiary devices, to preventing the deployment of ground to air missiles, to early identification of pilots with negative intentions, ensuring in-flight security is no longer a straightforward concept.

The need to address a growing diversity of security risks has come with a cost to privacy and individual freedom. As evinced in the aftermath of the recent San Bernardino attacks in the US, a heated debate emerged about the extent to which our level of phone privacy could be impinged upon by the need for greater security.

Singapore has become increasingly familiar with unconventional threats, as more individuals have become self-radicalized in recent years. While the country has yet to experience an attack, 3 in 4 Singaporeans in fact feel that a terrorist strike is "only a matter of time".

 

Resources for Trend Authors

• Atlantic Council, Global Trends 2030: The Changing Nature of Warfare

• New Yorker,  Lessons from Apple vs. The FBI

• Berkman Center for Internet and Security at Harvard University, Don’t Panic

• Straits Times, 3 in 4 Singaporeans believe terror strike here 'only a matter of time'

See this Sample Trend in the Technology Category for an example of how a completed trend submission might look.