Connectivity offered by 5G leads to privacy concerns

5G promises to usher in a new era of hyperconnectivity. But despite the obvious advantages this will bring, there are concerns this has significant implications for data security and decreased personal privacy. Providers are at pains to tell us what we will gain – but what will we lose?

Professor Marco Ruffini from the Connect Centre in Trinity College Dublin, says these concerns about privacy should be considered within the context of changing attitudes to technology. Networks, both fixed and wireless, have been improving constantly since the 1980s and every new generation has resulted in significant improvements, he says.

“During the first generation of cellular networks you could easily listen to other people’s conversations by just setting your phone into ‘scan mode’. This was resolved by 2G which, being a digital system, could introduce encryption in the calls,” he explains.

Today, Ruffini explains, there is even better encryption and improved resilience to attacks; rather, he believes, our privacy problems have more to do with how our society is evolving towards complete digitisation.

"We have had increased privacy issues since we started using applications like Facebook and YouTube, and other applications downloaded for free on our smartphones," he notes.

Yet people’s valid concerns about their personal privacy are not being taken lightly and it is encouraging to know there has been progress in this area; the EU, for example, has recently established study groups on how to develop new technologies to improve current security and privacy issues. Meanwhile, new network technologies are being designed with the view of pre-empting future problems, he adds.

Engaging with the public will go a long way towards addressing people’s privacy concerns as technology evolves, Ruffini says.

“It is vital that we maintain a dialogue between the people developing the network and applications and the people that will use it,” he says. “In the TCD Connect Centre we have a dynamic engagement between engineers and artists, for instance. We also have a ‘Designing for the Unknown’ initiative, which facilitates diverse approaches to imagining our technological future.”

Dani Michaux is the recently appointed head of cyber with KPMG. She says privacy is more of a concern – particularly in a post-GDPR landscape – for both organisations and consumers.

“On one side we have the complexities of systems and infrastructure, in both new and legacy systems, and an ability to demonstrate a full understanding of data and the potential implications is challenging for organisations. On the other side, consumer behaviours still vary across the world, with some countries requiring far more in relation to transparency compared to others,” she explains.

Michaux says we are seeing more action being taken by companies to deal with privacy concerns, as they have seen the implications of data and privacy breaches, with large fines being imposed within the EU. “However, we are far from being able to see every single product and organisation transparently speaking about their privacy and security by design principles,” she says.

Concerns

So, are these concerns as a result of increased connectivity via 5G warranted or is it simply scaremongering? With the introduction of every technology there have always been concerns – both from a security, but also a privacy perspective, says Michaux, who believes a certain degree of vigilance will be necessary.

“We need to have universal rules, but who has the ability to ensure that the rules get equally implemented throughout the world? The global community has been working over the last couple of years to introduce standards and guidance around 5G, including security and privacy, IoT device security, etc, with multiple working groups established across manufacturers, technology companies, international bodies and government organisations to tackle some of these,” she explains. It is Michaux’s view, however, it will be down to the implementers across the globe to ensure that guidance is consistently followed.

Fears are also being expressed that a totally connected world will be especially susceptible to cyberattacks. According to Michaux, increased connectivity provides for a wider surface of attack and more attack vectors, which means that we could potentially see larger scale cyber-attacks and data breaches.

“Where typically we have spoken about isolated systems and attacks across individual countries and facilities, we may now see more systemic types of attacks in the future – across cities and countries, and potentially cascading more rapidly between industries across supply chains,” she explains.

Surveillance also continues to be a controversial issue, and is the subject of intense debate in any discourse related to 5G. Michaux believes that while surveillance technologies will continue to evolve and be implemented as part of government agendas, governments will also need to ensure that the technology does not fall into the hands of the wrong individuals. “Further mechanisms will have to be developed to protect surveillance data and information,” she says.

Michaux cautions that as telecoms operators around the world move into 5G roll out, the weakest links will emerge.

“The basic fundamental interoperability and trust between operators will be one to watch,” she says.

“While the 5G technology and standardisation is advancing, some fundamentals around common agreement between operators on minimum controls, especially in smaller and remote countries, will remain an issue, which could lead to exposure in trusted connections.”