Cyber privacy: Who will loose in the 5G race?

5G will bring together the reality of an instantly connected digital life, however we must now, more than ever, focus on the privacy of such connected people, devices and apps. 

The race to 5G is on. With the launch of Apple's iPhone 12 and President Trump's goal to win, every company is rushing to bring more 5G devices and applications to the market.With the U.S.' focus to beat China and continue our lead in 5G technology, speed is important. But speed without a good privacy solution can be disastrous. 5G is an infrastructural overhaul of our old wireless networks, which means if we do not start moving now, there will be huge privacy implications for decades to come.  

5G requires the same kinds of updates and iterations that almost all other smart devices currently offer, just like how you update your computer, smartphone or your Tesla. Because of the cyber vulnerabilities of software, the toughest question of the real 5G race is going to be: How to protect and secure the most important and vulnerable network of the 21st century?

We've never had networks and devices that have defined, if not controlled, our lifestyle. It is in everything we do and involves so many participants, each reliant on the other and none of which have the responsibility or accountability to truly protect one's personal privacy. Everyone wants to get in on the 5G game, but nobody wants to be responsible for protecting people from the dangers that come with it. 

We may win the 5G race but we will certainly lose the cyber privacy race, putting personal privacy at risk. If we don't create policies and tools that provide true personal privacy protection, more of what was once personal to you will be everyone's business.