We bought our first home in late 1968. We watched it being built and even installed sound cables in the walls before they dry-walled, so we’d have a sound system for the whole home. Those days were called ‘container days.’ Contractors erected the container and left the homeowner to finish the rest. 

Now, 45 years later, the sector is being upended by smart home technology, creating a large market opportunity for investors, entrepreneurs, designers, and builders. The smart home industry, which was estimated to be worth $79 billion in 2020, is expected to increase to $314 billion by 2027, according to recent research from Mordor Intelligence.

Consumer curiosity is being sparked by ideas like touchless interactions and energy-saving whole-home automation. With new government efficiency standards demanding the replacement or modification of current systems, automated heating and cooling will be in high demand. All residential central air-source heat pump systems sold in the United States starting in January 2023 must adhere to new minimum energy efficiency standards.

This smart home movement focuses on enhancing the experience of living in the home, from automating appliances that anticipate and comprehend the homeowner's demands to programming devices to act consistently. Grandview Research's forecast of an excellent 31% compound annual growth rate between 2021 and 2030 for smart kitchens and security and surveillance technology installations.

Consider PIN-activated keyless door locks or smart doorbells that are always aware of visitors (or deliveries) arriving. Automated exterior lighting and AI-powered public space video cameras that monitor neighborhood activity will be in demand for multi-family developments.

Because the smart home industry has developed over the last five years and is ready to transition from "do it yourself" to "do it for me," there is a huge market opportunity. Consumers will probably start looking for pre-built homes with tailored technology more frequently. According to a Coldwell Banker Real Estate survey, 61% of millennials and 59% of parents with children living in the home choose smart-tech homes, while 71% of purchasers desire a tech-enabled, "move-in ready" home.

New artificial intelligence (AI) technology that automatically changes ambience routines to meet resident patterns and preferences makes this possible. Thermal windows that conserve energy improve a house's overall efficiency. Each smart home's devices are programmed to cooperate with one another and connect to a centralized home management app that is very easy to use and administer. Such systems receive routine cloud updates, and all hardware is dispersed across the home's primary hub. Technology seamlessly merges into the building's simple interior design.

With most software solutions available via the cloud, second-generation AI-powered smart home equipment self-learns and adapts to routines and preferences, getting better over time. All devices are coordinated and synced in the smart home setup, and they are all made accessible via a computer or a smartphone. A smart home with a genius Intellect, perhaps.

Designers and builders must rethink household space in light of increasing urban density and environmental sustainability. Compared to older homes, the modern urban home uses space more effectively, is more flexible, and is more responsive. It is cozy and friendly. The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant influence that shouldn't be understated, since it confirmed long-held notions that the home can and should improve the health and wellbeing of its occupants.

A multi-family neighborhood outside of Portland's center dubbed HOMMA HAUS Mount Tabor, with 18 two-bedroom residences, is a pioneering prototype. This type of house must have an adaptable modern design, multi-functional use of space, and curated, pre-configured technology built in before the resident occupies the area. This sort of house should serve as the cornerstone of holistic well-being for its residents.

Urban areas that are expanding, like Portland, tend to have residents who value a deep relationship with environment and routinely engage in outdoor activities. Innovations like this one make use of organic-feeling materials that foster a sense of kinship with nature. The environment is improved by thoughtfully chosen oak flooring, Corian kitchen counters, and cedar fencing. Bamboo and tree landscaping produces shade and further reduces noise to keep the residences quiet.

Real estate will place more emphasis on striking a balance between protecting residents' privacy and fostering a sense of community. This is made possible by clever technology working in tandem with well-planned communal areas. Contemporary housing projects frequently contain courtyards that provide a good blend of quiet space and communal gathering area.
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Urban living that is holistic and adaptable will be the industry's driving force as it develops. Modern architecture, design, and technology are blended into one product, the home, which is constructed to bring beauty, comfort, and wellbeing. Astute builders will do this. Investors, CEOs of large corporations, and startup founders should monitor these developments and be prepared to seize the opportunities they will bring about.

The White House is taking a victory lap over its efforts to close the digital divide, announcing recently that 10 million households have signed up for the Affordable Connectivity Program, which was funded to the tune of $14.2 billion under the bipartisan infrastructure bill. The program, designed for low-income Americans, offers eligible households up to $30 off their monthly internet service, or up to $75 off for those living on tribal lands. 

The Affordable Connectivity Program grew out of the pandemic-related funding provided under the Emergency Broadband Benefit program, which offered low-income households up to $50 off their monthly bills. That program came together quickly and was marked early on by technical troubles that made it nearly impossible for some Americans who had been approved for the program to sign up for service with their internet providers.

Some providers were also found to be stretching the rules laid out by the FCC, which required people enrolled in the program to actively opt in to full-price internet plans whenever the funding for the discounts ran out. That approach was designed to prevent low-income Americans from getting hit with surprise bills they couldn't afford. But reporters found at least two providers were requiring people to opt in to higher priced plans as a condition of enrollment.

The false starts raised questions about whether the EBB program was really making a dent in the digital divide. One study last summer estimated that 36 million households might be eligible for the program. At the time, just under 4 million households had enrolled. 

The author of that report, John Horrigan, a senior fellow at the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society, said the progress that's been made since then is "encouraging." "In a fairly short time frame, the program that didn't exist has ramped up to a good level," he said.

But even with 10 million households enrolled, tens of millions of eligible households may still be left behind. According to Horrigan's calculations, in 2021, there were 38 million households at or below 200% of the poverty level in the U.S., which would make them eligible for the program. That, he said, means "more elbow grease" needs to be applied in terms of outreach.
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While the White House’s announcement was a chance to celebrate the success of the program, it also marked the beginning of a dedicated push to get more Americans enrolled. The White House said the FCC and its local partners will be holding 10 enrollment events over the next month to both raise awareness for the program and train navigators who can help people enroll.

The Internet once held great promise to empower individuals, but it has become yet another path of control for bad actors. Today, authoritarian governments and companies around the world track and surveil individuals; data is not private and is sold for profit; some states algorithmically “score” their citizens; and propaganda and disinformation are rampant.

Thankfully, we are on the cusp of “Web3,” a next-generation Internet that could shift the balance back toward individuals. If the United States embraces Web3, it could also offer a pivotal advantage in its ongoing competition with authoritarian states, especially China.

What is Web3? To understand, it helps to go back to the beginning.

Think of Web1 as the original one-way Web pages of the 1990s—static sites coupled with the dawn of widespread email. Web2 came to life as the Internet became interactive, allowing users to log in and create their own content. At the same time, Google, Facebook and other massive tech platforms hosted “free” services in exchange for our data. Over subsequent decades, of course, the Internet has continued to advance and grow more sophisticated, but we mostly still operate in a Web2 world.

Now, we are closing in on a new version of the Internet—Web3—built on the blockchain, a technology that makes it possible to transact data securely, and smart contracts, which allow users to make agreements without relying on intermediaries, it’s what permits you to pay a vendor directly using cryptocurrency, no bank required. Web3 is still being developed and defined, but it’s clear that, fundamentally, it will offer a more decentralized version of the Internet.

Web3 is in its heady early days. New companies are forming daily to remove central platforms and bring decentralized, more secure services to users globally. Some focus on video-sharing services with no central repository—in contrast with YouTube or TikTok. Others are creating decentralized shared-storage options, unlike centralized cloud services.

These new services address many of the biggest problems of today’s Internet. Security is improved because there is no central database to hack. Privacy is protected because users directly control their data. Resiliency is built into Web3 through decentralization.

And this decentralization makes control by authoritarian governments much more difficult.

In 1999, it would have been hard to believe that one day teenagers would become millionaires by making videos of themselves playing video games or that political revolutions would be fomented on a website designed to share photos of college students.

Web3 could be equally revolutionary by shifting power back to individual users—which would be good for democracy and for the United States, for two reasons:

First, authoritarian states cannot abide private life because that’s where anti-governmental activities can percolate. China and Russia have already set up mechanisms to spy on and control the existing Web2 infrastructure through firewalls, censorship and coercion of technology platforms. Web3 would make such authoritarian controls much more difficult.

Second, although the United States still dominates Web2 in many ways, the Web’s current framework allows China to sweep up swaths of data to power its political and military artificial intelligence systems. The decentralization and personal data control of Web3 would make it much harder for China to maintain data dominance.

Web3 will, of course, be disruptive for good actors as well. Law enforcement will confront websites for which there are no “take down” notices and no corporate CEOs to enforce regulations. Intelligence agencies will need to find new ways to monitor terrorists. Seemingly invincible technology companies could go the way of Blockbuster. Nonetheless, the United States should not fear the rise of Web3—it should adapt to, invest in, and promote it.
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Geopolitics is about relative power and relative gains. Conceptually, Web3 is innately more beneficial to Western liberal democracies, which value democracy and personal privacy. This would return the advantage to the West and force China and other authoritarian states to confront their weaknesses, change them or fall behind.

Given how much valuable information we entrust to computers these days, it’s more important than ever to ensure that your work and home networks are safe. All it takes is one chink in your Wi-Fi’s armor to compromise your system, leading to ransomware, invasion of privacy, and the loss of invaluable personal data. Learn how to secure your Wi-Fi network today, and rest easier knowing you’ve prevented future outrages.

Wi-Fi works by broadcasting the signal from your modem via a wireless router up to several hundred feet away, allowing any compatible device to connect to the internet. While this is undoubtedly a major convenience for both work and home networks, it also raises the unpleasant possibility that a cybercriminal could compromise the network and access your devices and information. Should any crime be committed using your PC, such as spamming or harassment, the investigation would lead back to your computer, potentially putting you at legal risk.

However, as long as the wireless signal is sufficiently encrypted or rearranged into a coded transmission, your network should be safe from digital eavesdroppers and intruders. Two types of encryption are commonly used on routers, computers, and other devices: Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) and Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP). The most current and robust encryption is known as WPA3, though the weaker WPA2 is more common. Either should protect you from all but the most determined cybercriminals, though WPA3 will give you greater security against the latest threats. If you’re still using WEP to protect your Wi-Fi network, even the most common hacking programs could pose a threat, so consider upgrading your router for one with WPA3 included.

Upgrade Your Wi-Fi Security. It is worth noting that even though many routers now come with WPA3 encryption as standard, some do not have encryption enabled right out of the box. Fortunately, enabling the encryption is a simple matter of following the router’s instruction manual or manufacturer’s website. Additionally, there are several steps to take during the router’s setup to minimize the risks to your network, though these settings can also be adjusted at a later time.

Limit Wi-Fi Access. First and foremost, you should consider enabling any available options to limit the number of devices that can access your network, which you can do either through your computer’s Wi-Fi or directly through your router’s app. While it might be convenient to get that Wi-Fi-connected slow cooker you saw online, Internet of Things (IoT) devices can serve as easy entry points for hackers. Each device will be assigned an individual Media Address Control (MAC) that will allow your approved devices to access Wi-Fi while blocking those without a MAC – though hackers have spoofed MAC addresses before, so don’t rely solely on this feature to secure your network.

Protect Your Router. Since your router is the primary point of contact between your network and the internet, you need to make sure it’s been well-secured as your primary form of cyber defense. Failure to secure your router can allow hackers to seize control of it, redirect your web traffic, and steal personal and financial info. If you’re still using the generic network name and password the router came with, you could be in some severe trouble and not even know it.

PC users can check their router’s encryption status by right-clicking on the Internet Access toolbar icon and selecting Properties. From there, scroll down to Properties at the bottom of the window, and you’ll be able to check the security type that’s running, which should be WPA2 at a minimum.

Mac users can check the encryption status by opening System Preferences, clicking on “Network,” and then selecting the Wi-Fi network listed and then clicking on the “Advanced…” button. The network will be listed with its encryption status.

Changing the stock password the router shipped with is of paramount importance since these manufacturer-provided details are not always randomized and are well-known by hackers. Find your router’s IP address and use that to access it. Log in and change the default password. You should also ensure that their router’s service set identifier (SSID) has been changed to a unique name that only you know.

Update Your Router’s Firmware and Software Regularly. We all update our smartphones regularly. But updating your router is even more critical. You can accomplish this by either accessing your router directly or using an app, if available. Most routers have an option to update it directly in the admin panel.

Disable Remote Access. While the idea of accessing your router from anywhere with an internet connection might seem appealing, keep in mind that anyone else with the right skills can do the same. Remote access can be disabled via accessing your router directly or using an app. 
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Essentially, by following the same practices to protect your computer from digital intrusions (frequent updates, attention to detail, malware protection, etc.), you can help keep your wireless networks safe and sound.

Editor’s note: In late February, Microsoft President Brad Smith testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee on emerging technologies and their impact on national security. Later, he also testified at the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on the SolarWinds hack.

Read Brad Smith’s written testimony from the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing here and watch the testimony here.

Read Brad Smith’s written testimony from the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence hearing here and watch the testimony here.

The following is a Microsoft blog post from Brad Smith.
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For two centuries, technology has changed the nature of what it takes to defend a nation. In early 1940, improved tanks rendered worthless two decades of French investment along the fortified Maginot Line, as the German army simply plowed around it. And in late 1941, the United States learned that advances in naval aviation meant that battleships could no longer defend Pearl Harbor. Today, foreign cyberweapons pose a similar threat for the future.

Congress this week will explore the role digital technology’s influence on American power and security. While committees in both the House and Senate will rightly focus on the threats cyberweapons pose, the broader topic of the Senate Armed Services Committee’s hearing focus on the higher stakes represented: digital technologies across the board are rapidly redefining the way we secure the peace, maintain our defense and, when necessary, fight wars.

But today one would be hard-pressed to say that the country has a comprehensive strategy to harness these technologies for the country’s defense. A more cohesive approach is needed, in terms of infrastructure defense, military expertise and global engagement.

The recent SolarWinds cyberattack on the tech sector’s supply chain was a wake-up call. And just last week in Texas, nature demonstrated the vulnerability of our power grid. Yet, since 2014, Russian agencies have intruded into the U.S. electrical grid, and we shouldn’t assume they were alone or had benign intent.

This means we must prepare for more sophisticated foreign attacks. We need to strengthen our software and hardware supply chains and modernize IT infrastructure. We must also promote broader sharing of threat intelligence, including for real-time responses during cyber incidents.

Let’s start with the need for more open sharing of information. Today, too many cyberattack victims keep information to themselves. We will not solve this problem through silence. It’s imperative that we encourage and sometimes even require better information sharing, including by tech companies.

But cybersecurity is just the start. Emerging technologies such as cloud and edge services, AI and 5G will redefine the requirements for military operations at mission speed, based on their ability to harness massive amounts of data and computational power.

The Pentagon needs to move more quickly to use, secure and adapt commercial advances for military applications. This will require more agile procurement, more digital skills in personnel training, and a closer partnership between the government and the tech sector.

The development of digital technology often starts with commercial technology and then moves to military and intelligence adaptations, rather than the other way round. This is the opposite of the Cold War, and it changes almost everything.

It means that military supremacy in digital technology is dependent on broader national leadership in the field. And, while the computer revolution took root on American soil, it is now a worldwide endeavor with global powers, including China, competing in and sometimes leading the race.

This requires a holistic approach to government-sponsored basic research and technology trade policy. The United States has unmatched capability for basic research through our research universities. Yet government research spending has declined, and within the next few years China is expected to surpass us.

We also need to strengthen ties with our allies, building on the global nature of technology innovation. Microsoft’s quantum computing efforts illustrate this well, with labs in Indiana, California and Washington, as well as Denmark, the Netherlands and Australia.

Finally, global technology leadership requires successful work to promote standards and technology protocols that reflect American inventions. The U.S. has excelled in these fields through decades of international outreach. This can’t stop now.

A lot is at stake, including the nation’s unique role in providing global leadership. When we think about the role of technology for the country’s defense, our ability to establish and defend the most important connective tissue of the international order – in areas such as finance, cybersecurity, healthcare and transportation – marks one stronghold of American power and security.

We will need to lead with moral authority and not the strength of technology alone. As in the past, there is no substitute for technology the world can trust.

For the last 70 years, the United States has provided what we might think of as the global public operating system. The next 70 years will witness this not just as a metaphor, but as real software power. Our national security strategy therefore must continue to offer the best options for countries around the world as they transition every part of their national lives to a digital age.

2020 was a disruptive year for the tech industry – accelerating developments that may have taken 3 to 5 years to implement to everyday use almost overnight.

Given these developments, here are five tech industry trends we’ll see within the next 11 months:
1 Work from Home (WFH) culture sets off a renewed focus on smart collaboration and office set-up of the future. As companies examine the functionality of the workplace, we’ll start to see more traditional office workspaces become periodic collaboration hubs, while home offices become the day-to-day workplace.

The office will likely transform from many desks, conference rooms, and shared amenities to a cooperative business center supporting specific project-based priorities on an ongoing basis.
As a result, employers will need to equip their full workforce with the right tech tools, deployment, and IT support to maximize productivity and collaboration – for both working from home and in the shared workplace.

2 5G and Connectivity Will Be in the Spotlight. 5G became a reality in 2020, but the global pandemic overshadowed its launch. In 2021 this will begin to change.

5G has infinite possibilities, many of which are yet to be explored. It is more than just ‘very fast internet,’ as it can enable many more products and services. It will also enhance augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) experiences, which in themselves have unexplored possibilities.

5G will continue to transform personal computing as more PCs – joining tablets and smartphones – embrace always-on and always-connected capabilities, offering freedom from reliance on Wi-Fi alone. This is especially critical now as multiple household members stretch home Wi-Fi networks at peak hours while working and learning from home.

3 New Form Factors for New Generations. 2020 saw the introduction of foldable technology in PCs and smartphones that reshaped the potential of portability and productivity. These devices will move to the mainstream in the coming years as more panel suppliers offer more incredible options at lower price points.
Further out, we may even see foldable tech extended to external monitors that can be folded and unfolded, rolled and unrolled, to expand and contract based on the number of viewers watching.

These displays may one day also be embedded into our smartwatches, textiles, or even toys that extend like a scroll. Enterprise-grade, AR-enabled smart glasses for more versatility in remote maintenance and training, for example, will also come to the fore.

4 Heightened Cybersecurity and Transparency. Security of sensitive information will be a top priority in 2021 because of the proliferation of data, the ever-growing number of entry points, and hackers becoming more resourceful.

With the traditional network suddenly moving away from the corporate environment, the perimeter has now expanded to all devices connected remotely to the cloud or other work devices – where even smart home devices may add risk to corporate networks as employees log in from home.

Below-the-OS attacks, where hackers dive deeper into the computing stack for vulnerabilities, are also a growing risk. More remote and cloud infrastructures in the new normal also mean companies will need to grapple with how best to keep themselves secured with integrations of partner security services.

Ultimately, organizations will need to commit to a more agile, business-centric approach to security that doesn’t replace their existing security models but instead places security within the context of the organizational strategy.

5 IoT, Edge, and Blockchain Technology Will Become More Popular. The Internet of Things (IoT) has made tremendous strides over the past two years. It is becoming part of homes, businesses, and cities as people strive to make their lives simpler, streamlined, and more connected.

An IoT ecosystem consists of web-enabled smart devices that use embedded systems, such as processors, sensors, and communication hardware, to collect, send and act on data they acquire from their environments. IoT devices share the sensor data they collect by connecting to an IoT gateway or other edge device where data is sent to the cloud to be analyzed.

With IoT, a considerable amount of information is generated, which is then analyzed by cloud servers to extract only the useful data.  This data is then fed back into IoT to increase its accuracy and relevance.

The truth is, deploying IoT at scale can be a tricky task. Everything looks different. IoT applications, gateways, and smart devices are installed differently and can be scattered across an organization’s physical locations.

As these IoT technologies become more prevalent, so too will connected products that require greater autonomy and speed, and edge computing will help facilitate this by rapidly analyzing their information.

With edge computing, products can immediately process information at its source rather than first divert it through the cloud. This makes technology like autonomous cars possible.

Lastly, Blockchain – a fantastic piece of data regulation technology, will most definitely become more popular in the coming months. When Blockchain technology first appeared on the public’s radar a few years ago, it was often conflated with Bitcoin and crypto currency.

However, while this was happening – the importance of Blockchain technology itself was overshadowed. 2021 will shine a light on the importance of this technology as the focus turns to enable digital trust.
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The reason for this is that Blockchain technology can record transactions between two parties without the need for third-party authentication and is thus often referred to as a digital ledger. The information in this ledger is open and decentralized, which makes it ideal for identity management and tracking sources of assets and data, thus playing a vital role in the identification of information.

Some of the world’s biggest companies, like Amazon and SpaceX, are looking towards space for the future of the Internet. Satellite-based Internet is a nascent enterprise, but analysts believe that broadband Internet beamed to Earth from orbit could be a massive business within the next 20 years, earning hundreds of billions of dollars.

Attention has focused on the “space” part of “space Internet,” with news stories focused on the rocket launches getting SpaceX’s Starlink satellites into space and how Amazon plans to catch up with satellites of its own. But all of these satellites will need transceivers on Earth to send and receive data. Scientists at the Tokyo Institute of Technology and Socionext Inc. have built a new one that works with the next generation of Internet satellites.

What are transceivers? Unassuming pieces of technology, they are some of the least-flashy but most important components in history. A transceiver is a device that can both transmit and receive signals, hence the name. Combining a transmitter and a receiver into one device allows for greater flexibility, and since their development in the 1920s, they’ve been used to reach remote locations. One of the earliest transceivers, invented by the Australian John Traeger, was used to help doctors reach remote villages.

The new transceiver, designed for space internet technology, was developed at Kenichi Okada's lab at Tokyo Tech and presented recently at the virtual IEEE Radio Frequency Integrated Circuits Symposium. The new device has several improvements on both the transmitting and receiving ends of the business. All of these developments are geared toward providing Internet access in rural and remote areas. At only 3 mm (0.118 inches) by 3 mm, the transceiver can communicate with satellites over 22,000 miles above the Earth’s atmosphere.

"Satellite communication has become a key technology for providing interactive TV and broadband internet services in low-density rural areas. Implementing Ka-band communications using silicon – complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor technology in particular – is a promising solution owing to the potential for global coverage at low cost and using the wide available bandwidth," Okada said in a statement released by Tokyo Tech.

On the receiving end, the transceiver uses a dual-channel architecture. That translates into two receiving channels being able to attain signals from two different satellites simultaneously. If there’s ever any interference, be it from a malicious actor, a satellite breaking down in space, or the odd solar flare, it can effortlessly pick up another signal.

Stopping Interference. It can also handle one of the worst issues to plague any transceiver: adjacent channel interference or ACI. ACI occurs when a signal sent on one channel begins to overlap with another, adding noise and interference. The new transceiver’s dual-channel architecture can stop ACI at the source. Any interference is eliminated by adjacent channels. ACI is the type of problem that can frequently occur in remote areas, and eliminating it allows the device to extend its range even further.

On the transmitting side, Okada says that the device’s “transmitting power was the biggest challenge” for the new transceiver. Not only does it have to work, but it has to be cost-effective for companies like Amazon and SpaceX to show any consideration.

Designers use semiconductors known for the efficiency, as well as transistors made of the little-known compound Gallium arsenide, which has the lovely acronym of GaAs. GaAs transistors are superior to their more common silicon in many ways, and Okada says that getting the semiconductors and GaAs transistors to work together is “the most important technology for the transceiver design.”

Who This Helps. It’s not just space-based Internet that could benefit from the design that Okada and his team have developed. Okada says that balloon-based Internet, the type currently being implemented by Alphabet’s Loon in Kenya, could also use this improved transceiver.

In emergencies with inferior to non-existent Internet, the type that Loon, Starlink, and now Amazon’s Kuiper want to solve, every advantage can count. And now, one of the most significant advantages might come on the ground.

When we think about privacy and who can access our location data, we’re often focusing on our phones and not on the machine that actually takes us places: our car. A recent report from NBC News goes into just how much data is collected by our vehicles and how it can be used by police and criminals alike.

Your car, depending on how new it is and what capabilities it has, could be collecting all sorts of data without your knowledge – including location data, when its doors were opened, and even recordings of your voice. The NBC article uses the example of Joshua Wessel, a man charged with murder because the victim’s truck has a recording of his voice at the time of the killing. The report also looks at a company called Berla Corp., which has built a business out of extracting that data on behalf of the police.

In broad strokes, it’s hard to guarantee any kind of data protection, simply because cars collect so much sensitive data. Berla’s software boasts the ability to read the unique IDs of Bluetooth and Wi-Fi devices that have connected to a car’s infotainment system, as well as call logs, contacts, and text messages. But infotainment data isn’t all it can read – it can also look at the logs kept by the car’s internal computer, revealing when specific doors were opened, as well as providing a location log from its built-in GPS.

It’s not just the police that can get at this information. NBC mentions an Australian man who used an app to access live data from his ex-girlfriend’s Land Rover. Not only was he able to access live information about the car, but he was also able to control it, remotely turning it on and off and opening windows.
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The heart of the problem is that we’re sharing our private data with more and more devices, and the systems we rely on to keep that data safe are getting more complicated. If we really want to deal with the issue, we may have to take a hard look at our cars and start thinking about how much data they need.

If ever there was a decade that announced itself so defiantly in the first year, it’s the 2020s. With so much change and volatility already, 2020 has proven this decade will be dramatically different than the one before it. IT and business leaders must prepare for ten years, unlike any others. 

For IT and business leaders, success in the 2010s meant capitalizing on innovative commercial IT (think cloud and mobile). As the decade went on, many of those firms began leveraging the same commercial platforms, looking and feeling very similar to their customers. Forward-thinking organizations began examining how digital differentiation could give them a leg up and then – wham! – 2020 came in with a bang.

In only a few months, business models were flipped on their heads. The coronavirus pandemic, economic downturns, the rise of values-based consumers, and increasing climate issues forced most businesses to pivot to new, mostly digital, models quickly this year. 

In case it’s not clear by now: What worked in the 2010s will not work in the 2020s as we see business shift from global toward hyperlocal operations. So, what will work? 

For starters, every business role must incorporate systemic risk into long-term planning. For future-fit IT leaders, the risks aren’t limited to the data center or network outages. Today’s threats include rapidly changing consumer trends that require digital pivots, increasingly complex security concerns, the ethical use of AI, and the increasing impacts of climate change. 

Feeling overwhelmed? The good news is that several emerging technologies can help your organization identify and address these risks and create a competitive advantage through disruptive innovation. A few examples include: 

• Employee privacy software that leverages the downpour of employee data without infringing on employee trust 
• AI that is learning how to code enterprise software and changing firms’ organizational structures 
• Cloud-native technology that helps you innovate with software everywhere, especially at the edge 
• Software dedicated to analyzing climate risk to evaluate your individual organization’s risk 
• Robotic process automation that can scale back-office processes for increased resiliency 

Aligning your tech stack to address your organization’s highest risks and pursue the right innovations will be the differentiator for future-fit firms in the 2020s. One of my prime reference sources is Forrester Research. They practice what they preach. Here are some of the steps they are taking to move productively into the 2020’s:

• Leveraging new technology platforms and models to deliver our research and insights to clients more efficiently in formats that let you decide how you want to learn from us. For example, each of the links above will take you to a short-form story explaining an important technology trend in video and text. Each further provides direction on the most critical emerging technologies to invest in, along with a link to our research to learn more. 
• We are moving from an annual trends and technologies report cadence to twice a year in the spirit of more insight faster, with new trends and emerging tech updates published in between.    
• Lastly, to start planning your roadmap for the decade ahead, our upcoming event, Technology & Innovation Global, will dive deep into many of these trends in a keynote panel I will be hosting. We will also feature several breakout sessions from our top analysts. At that event, we’ll demonstrate our next generation of emerging technology and trends research tools, so please join us!   

Wireless engineers, automakers, and governments have spent years preparing for a future where autonomous cars will communicate with each other and sophisticated transportation networks – an initiative known as “cellular vehicle to everything,” commonly abbreviated C-V2X. Recently, the 5G Automotive Association (5GAA) offered a roadmap for mass deployments of automotive communications technologies, and its timeline includes several interesting dates that aren’t as far off as some people might have guessed.

Based on the current pace of cellular industry standards organization 3GPP’s 5G releases, global 5G deployments, and the state of the automotive communications supply chain, the 5GAA expects three C-V2X stages over the next decade:

1. From 2020 through 2023, automakers will rely on 4G LTE-V2X technology to enable basic safety features, such as left-turn assistance and emergency electronic brake light features, to improve traffic efficiency. They’ll augment primary local hazard and traffic information that’s already being shared over cellular networks.
2. Starting in 2024, the 5GAA predicts a “large-scale introduction” of 5G-enabled automated driving technologies that rely on communications between vehicles and infrastructure. For example, 5G-V2X will be used to park cars in parking garages automatically – a car-to-private infrastructure use case Bosch is already testing in German and U.S. locations – followed by “more complex environments and scenarios” including public roads. Tele-operated driving will also be possible.
3. In 2026, 5GAA expects all new autonomous vehicles will include 5G-V2X, kicking off an age where cars cooperate by sharing high-definition sensor data. Some of C-V2X’s most widely anticipated autonomous functionality, such as cars being able to share their upcoming intentions with each other and the network, as well as combining video and depth information for real-time cooperative perception, will be in pilot test stages at this point. Urban and highway pilot programs for dynamic intersection management and cooperative traffic flows could take until 2029.

5GAA expects that the 3GPP will continue to evolve the 5G standard from current Release 16 through 2023’s Release 18, enhancing industry support and specifications for 5G-V2X as carriers continue building out their 5G infrastructures. As nice as it would be if autonomous vehicles could just start relying on 5G today, the reality is that 5G infrastructure isn’t yet built out enough around the world. There are technological and legal practicalities to consider, as well.
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Allocating wireless spectrum to vehicles will be critical to 5G-V2X deployments, the 5GAA notes, ideally harmonized internationally at 5.9GHz, as well as low band spectrum for use in rural driving, and mid-band spectrum in urban environments. The group expects basic safety to require 10 to 20MHz of spectrum for direct 4G communications, plus 40MHz or more for advanced 5G driving.