| Infonomics has been commissioned by the Rathenau Instituut to develop a research proposal on the vulnerability of the information society. ICT networks are considered so important for the functioning of our society that they are referred to as its 'nervous system': 'Networks will be the nervous system of our future society, and we can expect this infrastructure to have more influence on our entire social and personal lifes than did the construction of roads for the transportation of people and goods in the past.' (Van Dijk, 1999 (1991): 2). Despite the enthusiastic and often utopian stories about the 'ICT revolution', there has recently been more attention for the dangers that can be the result of a deep entrenchment of ICT in our society. Recently a number of reports have been published that focus on the vulnerability of the information society: What happens if the ICT-infrastructure fails, either as a result of inherent system characteristics (such as interdependence of system components) or as a result of deliberate malicious intent (cyber terrorism or hackers)? The first stage of this project consisted of an exploratory study of the various problem perceptions and definitions that key-actors in the field have of the vulnerability problem . The project consisted of 10 in-depth interviews with hackers, representatives of crucial societal sectors (such as health care, education and banking), experts in information system auditing and consumers. The result of this project is a rich and detailed overview of the viewpoints concerning the vulnerability of ICT-infrastructures, and forms the basis for a further empirical and theoretical exploration of this issue in the next stage of the project. |
