Nell’attuale scenario di crisi economica, prevalentemente dovuta alla pandemia di Covid-19 (si parla di una recessione del 6,7% in Europa per il 2020), tra gli attori che hanno decisamente guadagnato durante lo scorso anno ci sono molte aziende che forniscono servizi e prodotti digitali.
La decisione di Twitter e Facebook di sospendere temporaneamente e poi indefinitamente gli account personali del Presidente degli Stati Uniti Donald Trump ha scatenato reazioni contrastanti e polarizzanti, come spesso succede quando al centro della scena c’è l’attuale Presidente uscente. In molti hanno sostenuto che finalmente fosse arrivato il tanto aspettato momento in cui si è punito Trump per aver violato ripetutamente i termini di servizio e di utilizzo delle piattaforme.
In Italia si discute ancora sulla validità e i piani di propagazione dell’App “Immuni”, in Cina invece applicazioni come Shuishenma e Xiangzhu hanno permesso a più di 1.1 miliardi di persone di monitorare la salute dei propri contatti attraverso semplici codici QR.
George Orwell’s predictions in 1984 came several decades too early, but they hit the mark. In a heartbeat, Orwell’s dystopic digital authoritarianism might have translated into reality, to the point that nowadays we no longer cast a curious look at the tracking apps on our phones or the video surveillance cameras in shops or buses. This is particularly true for China, where social surveillance has deeper philosophical roots than in Western societies.
Hydrogen is enjoying an unprecedented momentum on policy makers’ and industries’ agendas. The international community is also demonstrating a solid commitment to tackle climate change, putting in place various solutions to achieve an energy strategy that aims for climate neutrality. In this context the European Union leads the way.
The world is currently experiencing a period of dramatic innovation in its energy systems. How energy is supplied and consumed shows significant potential to be disrupted in the coming decades. Indeed, it is essential that such disruption does occur for the world to fulfill the commitment of the Paris Accord and achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
The European Commission in December 2019 declared that “an ambitious 5G introduction is essential for Europe to have a leading position and to take early advantage of the new market opportunities”. 5G will be a physical overhaul of essential networks that will have decades-long impact: it will entail the conversion to a mostly all-software network and future upgrades will be software updates much like the current upgrades to smartphones.
This report published by ISPI and the Brookings Institution analyzes the challenges to international order posed by the ongoing race for technological superiority. From artificial intelligence and quantum computing to hypersonic weapons and new forms of cyber and electronic warfare, advances in technology have threatened to make the international security environment more unpredictable and volatile – yet the international community remains unprepared to assess and manage that risk.
The internet offers tremendous opportunities for violent extremists across the ideological spectrum and at a global level. In addition to propaganda, digital technologies have transformed the dynamics of radical mobilisation, recruitment and participation. Even though the jihadist threat has seemingly declined in the West, the danger exists of the internet being an environment where radical messages can survive and even prosper.
The G20 has the potential and responsibility to lead the world in developing more sustainable economic systems and life styles. Today’s patterns of consumption and waste generation are unsustainable. They contribute to social inequalities and the environmental degradation that is polluting our oceans, heating up the planet, threatening species survival, and contributing to the spread of disease.
