TNO’s view of 2030: Digital privacy and security for everyone

Data on citizens is collected digitally from an early age. Not just Google and Facebook, but pretty much everything and everyone around us is collecting more and more data about us. This includes devices like smartwatches and navigation systems, but even hospitals do it to improve their services. In this article, Senior Consultant Erik Meeuwissen and Researcher Sarah van Drumpt talk about the ways TNO is working to make the internet secure.

Sending and receiving data securely

Sharing data accelerates innovation and helps solve challenges facing society. Take targeted poverty alleviation for example: government organisations use data insights to see who is entitled to support but currently does not receive it. Or think of hospitals developing better treatment methods through research based on patient data.

Sarah: "Dutch cancer researchers studying the population as a whole can now see more clearly than ever who is vulnerable to the disease, how to recognise symptoms early, and why treatments work differently in different people. At a time of rising healthcare costs, this knowledge is not just nice to have, but absolutely needed." To ensure that everything is done while respecting patient privacy, TNO is working to harness data using Privacy Enhancing Technologies (PET). This means that joint analysis can be carried out on sensitive data sharing only the outcomes, not all the data.

Owning your own data

In recent years, though, it has become clear that the amount of citizens’ own data that they have no control over is growing. At the same time, a large part of our private lives is being recorded in ‘digital environments’: from our financial affairs in banking apps and healthcare details in hospital information systems to borrowing a book from the library.

Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI) technology allows citizens to own their data and choose who to share it with. The recipient can quickly verify the data shared electronically for authenticity and validity, for example. This involves the use of cryptographic technologies, allowing verifiable digital information to be shared efficiently and providing a high level of trust – even between parties who do not naturally trust each other.

Digital security across sectors: from finance, government, and tech to logistics

TNO is working on the basis that digital environments could be targeted over the coming years. That is why we have a range of ongoing research projects with partners in areas such as finance and government. More specifically, TNO focuses on technological niches that have not yet been covered.

Erik: ‘Working in this field remains a cat-and-mouse game, as cyber attacks are getting smarter and smarter. Another aspect that should be mentioned is that the focus of detection research at TNO has focused mainly on office environments. But these attacks can also target vital processes, posing an immediate risk to life. That is why we are also broadening our research to include operational technology (OT).’

Crucially, the quantum computer is also on the way, which offer wonderful opportunities for businesses and society. Erik: ‘All the encrypted information that we now communicate, process, or store can be saved for cracking later by a quantum computer. That is why we are already working on cryptosystems that can withstand both current computer and quantum computer attacks.’

The future is 'self-healing' technologies

What does the future look like? Sarah: ‘I expect that, in the future, we will be able to really leverage data in smart ways, without having to worry too much about privacy. Technology and regulation will increasingly ensure that privacy is guaranteed from the outset.’

Erik: ‘We are also carrying out research into 'self-healing' technologies that can respond even faster to attacks and disruptions, just like the human immune system.  AI will play a big role in this. But it remains still difficult to say what the future holds. And technology alone won’t solve all of our problems. Partnerships to ensure that our work has an impact within society are just as important.’