This past year has shown how crucial digital technologies are for giving us access to rights and duties and for protecting non-negotiable values. Never before has digital technology become so essential to people's lives. It is clear that technology must be at the service of people. Therefore, for safe, easy and secure access, cybersecurity and data privacy become indispensable. Similarly, it has become evident how a lack of protection from cybercrime makes an increasingly innovative economic system vulnerable and fragile.
As Chuck Robbins (CEO, CISCO) says, 'We need a more connected world, where everyone has access to the Internet and essential services, no matter where they are. But security is essential, and privacy must be one of the fundamental human rights. Hybrid work and smart factories must make our planet more liveable today and more sustainable tomorrow.
Europe, in particular, has the opportunity to invest unprecedented resources in building a green and digital continent. Today, more than ever, the issue of the digital divide is becoming central. The challenge is to "redesign the networks so that everyone, everywhere, can use a stronger, more accessible and secure Internet". But connectivity alone is not enough: people need devices and the skills to use them, as well as the certainty that they are safe.
How can the public and private sectors work together to achieve this goal? What are the challenges and opportunities for our country?