Connecting technology to national security

Just as states prioritize the defense of their territory and sovereignty from an outside power, so should they keep strong lines of defense in cyberspace. Unlike the traditional realms of geopolitics, the digital world is always contested and is constantly in a state of crisis and conflict.  

The innovativeness of humanity has resulted in the advancement of technology that grants users the ease and comfort of everyday transactions. The internet has transformed the ways of communicating in the social world, as well as the delivery of products and services by businesses and governments.

By enabling people and organizations to collect, store, and analyze vast amounts of data, technology has achieved an unprecedented level of accuracy and certainty. Artificial intelligence possesses a much-trained eye for spotting trends and patterns that can lead to an accurate prediction of outcomes. For example, the ability to predict economic performances, business outputs, and electoral results allows swift and reliable decision-making. 

In the realm of national security, technology is useful in detecting trends and movements of actors, such as with the use of satellite images and drones. Take, for example, the images captured by satellites on the movements in the West Philippine Sea which have been used to justify current maritime security strategies. Aside from providing much-needed documentation, these images are, in turn, circulated in social media as part of the country’s information campaign.   

Nevertheless, the abilities gained in the digital era are potentially negated by the uncertainties and danger that technology brings. The public and the private sectors have to deal with massive cases of fraud and scams.

There are doubts about election returns channeled through machines. Debates center on whether something is authentic or manufactured. States, no matter how great the powers they hold, are all subject to cyber risks. The Philippines is no exception. Today's digital world is marked by our deeply entrenched interconnectedness with threats of destruction, not by guns and nuclear weapons, but with cyberattacks launched with a few keystrokes. 

Protecting access to data