This article is an update of the article with the same title from 21 October 2019.
Introduction. The world is rapidly digitalising, and as a result, it is increasingly being controlled—perhaps even dominated—by digital systems, backed by parties that develop, use, exploit, and manipulate these systems. While many of these parties are useful and legitimate, there are also criminal groups, governments, tech billionaires, and large tech companies who prioritise their own interests over the well-being of society. The lack of regulation or lawlessness on the internet and social media allows many activities to escape government oversight and control. The fact that these systems are mostly global in nature further complicates the situation. As a society, we are at risk of being ensnared in a worldwide digital trap, over which citizens have no control and governments have only limited influence. The core problem is that, globally, every individual, company, or organisation has become entirely dependent on the internet and social media. Not using them is not an option, yet using them comes with many significant and increasing risks.
Governments are losing control. Due to outdated legislation and national powerlessness, governments are losing control over digital companies, cybercrime, numerous new digital developments such as AI, the growing digital economy, and ultimately society as a whole. In fact, democracy itself is at stake. For those who doubt this, I recommend reading the article by Shoshana Zuboff, Professor Emeritus at Harvard Business School and author of “The Age of Surveillance Capitalism,” published in the New York Times on 29 January 2021. We risk ending up in a disordered society where the – digital – law of the strongest will prevail. First, a few examples.
Cybercrime has spiralled completely out of control, with the associated costs rising to approximately 11.5 trillion dollars in 2023 (more than 10% of the world economy being about 100 trillion), an annual increase of 3 trillion dollars. The criminal world has been utterly transformed by the possibilities offered by digital technology (ransomware, phishing, etc.) and criminal platforms, allowing criminals to achieve maximum results with minimal risk (virtually zero chance of being caught), negligible costs, and without physical victims. AI has further fuelled this trend, making it even easier to create fake messages and videos. An example of this is Ransomware as a Service (RaaS), which enables IT systems to be held hostage. RaaS can be cheaply purchased on the so-called dark web, a website for criminals, as a service for cybercriminals. Governments are barely defending themselves, particularly because this extortion exploits opaque international routes. Conspiracy has never been so easy. It seems as though we are awaiting the advent of CaaS: Crime as a Service.
The protection of data privacy in general is a nightmare. China, Russia, the US, and other countries are tightening their grip on data files due to their importance for national security. Tech giants use and manipulate private data to strengthen their businesses. Private data frequently ends up in the public domain by accident, due to careless data protection by organisations or through hacking. Therefore, no one can be certain that their private data will not be stolen, held to ransom, or monitored by the government or another party, or accidentally published. The police primarily tackle traditional thefts. But where can you turn to for digital mishaps involving your private data?
Information is almost always stored in the cloud. Governments, citizens, and businesses often do not know where their data is located or what happens to it. Most European companies and individuals store their data in clouds owned by American companies, which are subject to US security authorities. Not a comforting thought.
The financial world is increasingly dominated by algorithms that function partially autonomously, allowing capital to be transferred from one part of the world to another within milliseconds, benefiting the super-rich, criminals, or financial firms. National governments have little insight into international money transactions.
Fake news, deepfakes, and conspiracy theories pose a direct threat to democracy. Elections in the US and other countries are systematically influenced. Deepfake techniques, enhanced with AI, enable creators to make well-known figures say whatever they want them to say. Citizens no longer know whom or what to believe, and they are manipulated by algorithms or drawn into conspiracy theories. Some politicians actively use these technologies to influence voters. There is little that can be done about this, as these activities are often organised on an international scale.
The digital power of large countries like China, Russia, and the US is unknown, but it is certainly significant. They can effortlessly hack each other’s infrastructure or other sensitive systems. Their advanced capabilities for engaging in cyber warfare with one another or other countries are evident in the Ukraine and Gaza wars.
The world is descending into growing digital chaos as the economy shifts further into cyberspace. Cyberspace is an unregulated digital jungle, where there are few accepted or formal rules. Social media should be considered digital utilities, but because these systems operate globally, a global power is needed to set rules and oversee them. But such a power is lacking. Inevitably, in the coming years, there will be more serious digital incidents, just as climate change leads to more tornadoes, droughts, and floods. As with climate change, the conclusion must be that we can only manage the growing digital problems through global cooperation between countries and large tech companies. There needs to be some kind of global “digital agreement” to reach consensus on regulating a wide range of digital issues. Just as with climate change, the time has come for a radical shift in how we manage cyberspace in society: the digital risks are becoming too great and are unmanageable for individual countries.
Conclusion. A global consensus on digital developments is further away than ever, given current geopolitical conflicts, climate issues, and other matters occupying political attention. But if such global discussions do not take place, human society risks falling step by step into a digital black hole. Big Tech companies, billionaires and oligarchs, criminals, and corrupt regimes will continue to tighten their grip on citizens, businesses, and society thanks to new technologies. More and more new technologies will be applied without any form of regulation or control, while ethical guidelines simply do not exist. With all the digital developments, society risks being held hostage in a digital black hole by elusive groups of people, organisations, and countless uncontrolled technologies.
