WHAT IS THE FUTURE

OF INTERNET

M EN TO R :
P R O F.S A R D A R G U G LO TH
 The internet is changing the way we
live, work, produce and consume. With
such extensive reach, digital
technologies cannot help but disrupt
many of our existing models of business
and government.

As we enter the age of the Fourth

Industrial Revolution, a technological
transformation driven by the internet,
the challenge is to manage this seismic
change in a way that promotes the long-
term health and stability of the internet.
W hy is data so im portant?
At the heart of the internet is data massive
amounts of it. Volumes of data are growing at a
rate of 40% per year and will increase 50 times by
2020. A measure of the speed of growth is the
estimate from Singapore-based Aureus Analytics
that 90% of all data in the world was created in
the last two years.
As mobile usage goes up, so do personal data
volumes. Over half (51%) of all internet users
worldwide are in Asia: China has 1.3 billion mobile
subscriptions out of a population of 1.36 billion,
while India has 0.91 billion mobile subscriptions
out of a 1.25 billion population.
Butthe am ountofindustrialdata is grow ing even faster.Today
G artner estim ates there are about4.9 billion connected devices
covering products from cars,hom es,appliances and industrial
equipm ent.This w illreach 25 billion by 2020,driven by initiatives that
introduce sm artm eters and m ore ef c i
fientstreetlighting.
 W hat opportunities
and challenges w illthe
internet bring?
 The World Economic Forum
launched the Future of the Internet
Initiative(FII) in 2015 to help
strengthen trust and expand
cooperation on internet-related
challenges and opportunities.

Here are the four main themes of

the FII project:
 1.Transform ation
The internet is reshaping public and private
sector structures, creating new markets for
business. But organizations will also need to
strengthen the security of their customers data.

Many of the digital benefits to date have come

through efficiency gains as businesses use data to
tailor what they offer to customers. Another
opportunity and challenge is to find new sources of
income and value from digital transformation. New
propositions such as city car-hire schemes are
creating new partnerships, business models and
platforms for bringing buyers and sellers together.
 2.Access

There are still more people offline

than on. The United Nations has
included universal affordable internet
access in its Global Goals, which
collectively aim to reduce poverty,
advance health and education and
improve the environment. The goals
recognize that the internet can aid
global development by connecting
neglected and underserved
communities around the world.
 3.G overnance
With technology evolving at breakneck
speed, regulatory frameworks often lag
behind. The rules that govern the use of all
forms of data on the internet need to be
relevant and appropriate to the pace of
technological change.

As the internet becomes more pervasive, so

do the tensions between national interests
and global inter-operability. The rules
governing the cyber world are being tested on
a daily basis as governments and individuals
raise concerns about data security and
privacy. The innovative potential unleashed by
 4.Security
For organizations and individuals to have the
confidence to conduct transactions and exchange
information, the internet has to be secure.
This means that as the amount of industrial data
grows, there will be greater need for digital security
services focused on protecting the integrity of devices
connected to the industrial internet.
Incidents of cybercrime are rising significantly. In the
United Kingdom, 2.5 million computer-related criminal
offences were reported in the 12 months leading up to
June 2015.
The year 2015 has seen another significant escalation
in the rise of cyber threats. The United States has the
most attacks, with its industrial sector, governments
and education institutions the most frequent targets.
Cybercrim e is considered to be the num ber one m otivation behind the
attacks,follow ed by hacking and cyber espionage.The increase in the
range and sophistication ofattacks,as w ellas the potentialbrand
dam age due to loss ofdata or blackm ail,have pushed cyber security up
the agenda for large and sm allorganizations.The chartbelow show s the
num ber ofcyber attacks globally in both 2014 and 2015.
 By focusing on privacy, cybercrime,
access and societal challenges, the
FII initiative aims to support the
internet's evolution into a core
engine of human progress,
safeguarding its globally integrated,
collaborative and widely distributed
nature.
THANK YOU
P R ES EN TATIO N B Y:
B .LIK H ITH A