Top privacy and security technology trends shaping the next decade

Technology is evolving at a breakneck pace, and the world in 10 years will likely look very different than it does today.

My job is to look to the future and predict how technology will change the way we live, work and play. Usually I focus on what’s in my immediate vicinity. Because that’s what my client is preparing for today.

But sometimes it’s interesting to look a little further ahead. In this article, we look at how the way we think about and implement security and privacy will evolve as we reach the halfway point of the next decade.

At this point, the world will have changed significantly thanks to the technologies emerging today, such as AI, quantum computing, and biotechnology. With that in mind, here are what I think will be hot topics in this space heading into 2035.

Biosecurity and neurosecurity

As technologies such as gene editing and brain-computer interfaces (BCI) become more commonplace, questions are arising about the protection of the highly personal data contained within DNA itself. In a decade, we may even find ourselves needing to protect our deepest thoughts from beings who seek to hijack them for their own purposes. This could be selling genetic data for unethical research purposes. Or even read our minds in order to find ways to manipulate and control us (or just to sell us things). Does it look scary? Well, this is a danger that everyone will be talking about within the next decade. A new field of neurosecurity will emerge, focused on protecting the data that can be collected from brain waves and neural activity from unauthorized access and manipulation. Robust technical, ethical and legal frameworks need to be developed to prevent this frightening prospect from becoming a reality.

quantum security

By 2035, quantum computing will have evolved enough to potentially render current encryption methods used to secure everything from bank accounts to personal communications obsolete. Companies and even governments will pour vast resources into the race to develop increasingly powerful forms of “quantum-secure” cryptography.

Financial transactions, highly personal medical data, sensitive government and corporate information, and confidential intellectual property are all potentially vulnerable. Not only does this pose a technical challenge, but information held in encrypted storage, long considered secure, is trivial to anyone with a powerful enough computer to access it. It also poses global security challenges. Overcoming these challenges will require planning, investment, and development of new frameworks for global data security cooperation.

Globalized Cybersecurity

Currently, cybersecurity is primarily focused on protecting businesses and individuals from the risks posed by cyber theft and fraud. National security will be the priority for cyber defense professionals in 10 years. In recent years, there has been an increase in state-sponsored cyberattacks targeting businesses and civilian infrastructure with the goal of disrupting economies and instilling fear and anxiety. By 2035, protecting citizens from the effects of cyber-attacks by hostile countries and terrorist organizations may become as much of a priority as protecting them from the threat of physical attack or invasion.

As our reliance on interconnected networks increases, so does the potential damage that can occur. Critical infrastructure and financial systems will be targeted and destroyed more frequently. At a societal level, deepfake technology will become increasingly sophisticated, making it difficult to distinguish fact from fiction, accelerating the spread of propaganda and disinformation, and potentially undermining trust in democratic processes and state institutions. We may even face the reality of a “total cyber war” in which opposing forces do everything in their power to destroy their adversaries’ ability to use technology, leaving citizens without access to critical information and services.

Digital identity and data sovereignty

As we inhabit digital spaces and spend more time online, the distinction between our physical and digital identities is becoming increasingly blurred. By 2035, our digital identity will become an integral part of who we are. The risk of identity theft is higher than ever, extending beyond just the potential for financial harm to the theft of your entire digital persona. This situation is further exacerbated by the proliferation of deepfakes and synthetic media, which will pose new challenges to systems designed to authenticate digital identities. Moreover, in an age where AI and biometric technologies can easily link online behavior to real-world identities, questions surrounding our fundamental right to privacy will become more important than ever. .

One potential solution to data sovereignty issues may lie in decentralized technology. Encrypted decentralized systems give individuals some control over who can access their data and monitor their digital activities. This could spark a broader debate about the delicate balance between privacy and security, an issue that could be just as hotly debated a decade from now as it is now.

As the technology landscape rapidly evolves, these privacy and security trends will not only shape our future, but balance innovation with ethical considerations and shape our world into the next decade. It reminds us of our ongoing responsibility to help us stay connected and safe.