WGS 2017: Governments Must Lead by Example in Responsible Use of Cyber Data to Safeguard Personal Privacy, Social Prosperity

Cyber Security Guru Bruce Schneier Calls Governments to Action, Advises Safe and Secure Data Collection for the Benefit of Society

Dubai-UAE: 13 February, 2017:  Governments must lead by example when it comes to striking the ethical balance in the use of personal data collected online, and also ensure that an individual's privacy and social prosperity are not compromised, according to internationally renowned security technologist Bruce Schneier.

In a session entitled 'Between Privacy and Prosperity: A Fine Balance', on the first day of the World Government Summit 2017, Schneier noted that governments have tremendous data-harvesting abilities, through which every business transaction, every digital process or social media conversation that takes place online can be tracked and converted into big data. He called upon governments to implement a global ecosystem where data collection can be safely used for the benefit of society without invading privacy.

Describing the current state of cyber security, he said: "We have created a world where information technology permeates our economies, social interactions, and intimate selves. The combination of mobile, cloud computing, the Internet of Things, persistent computing, and autonomy has created a world-sized web that promises great benefits, but is also vulnerable to a host of new threats from users, criminals, corporations and governments."

He added: "Data on the web is not just stored, but rather used for large-scale analysis by big corporations and organizations that study behavior and interaction patterns of online users, manipulating information accordingly. With almost half of the world's population now online, governments have a duty of care to both sides for the sake of people's privacy and social prosperity."

Highlighting current trends in data and privacy, Schneier said that misuse of personal data is a growing challenge worldwide. He pointed out that in 2013, over five billion data records were lost or stolen according to the Breach Level Index.

Schneier is an internationally renowned security technologist, and has been named ‘security guru’ by The Economist. He wrote 13 books including 'Data and Goliath: The Hidden Battles to Collect Your Data and Control Your World’, as well as hundreds of articles, essays, and academic papers. Over 250,000 people worldwide read his influential blog 'Schneier on Security' and its monthly email digest 'Crypto-Gram'.

He has testified before the US Congress, is a frequent guest on television and radio, has served on several government committees, and is regularly quoted in the press. Schneier is a fellow at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University, a lecturer in public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School, a board member of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, an advisory board member of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, and Chief Technology Officer at Resilient, an IBM company.

The World Government Summit (WGS) 2017 has drawn the participation of more than 4,000 personalities from 139 countries around the world, reflecting the leading stature of the summit on regional and international levels and the high interest from governments, global organizations, private and public sector entities, decision makers, entrepreneurs, academics and university students as well as scientists and innovators. WGS 2017 features 150 speakers across 114 sessions that highlight the world’s most pressing challenges and showcase best practices and cutting-edge solutions to deal with them.