A careless approach to research security could jeopardize both the security of Estonia’s e-state and the country’s reputation in the eyes of its allies, which is why security-minded thinking must become part of everyday life in the scientific community, writes Riin Tamm.
When discussing security, the first things that usually come to mind are military defense, crisis preparedness and energy. Research security is not usually high up on the list, even though it should be. We are a society far more dependent on research than we often realize. That also makes us vulnerable to scientific espionage and sabotage.
Social science studies form the basis for Estonia’s strategic governance decisions. Amplified through politics and the media, they directly influence how people in Estonia perceive life in the country, their future, their fellow citizens and our place in the world. Among other things, Estonia’s e-state systems are built on research conducted here, including the security solutions that make digital signatures and e-voting possible. Research related to comprehensive national defense is also becoming more extensive, with a focus on hybrid threats, civil protection, crisis awareness and preparedness skills. Analysis of future trends also plays a critically important role.
Worst-case scenario: Estonian research’s reputation destroyed
Imagine that all of this suddenly lost its credibility. What would happen if it turned out that the picture of Estonian society created by what we believed were high-quality studies had in fact been wrong for years because researchers working on behalf of hostile forces had influenced the findings? We would discover that we had ignored serious problems and wasted taxpayers’ money to no effect. What would remain of our sense of security and trust?
Or suppose it emerged that the next generation of e-state software contained a security vulnerability that appeared accidental but could not be fixed quickly. And while we were developing next-generation cyberdefense technologies, some authoritarian state somehow already had exactly the same technologies.
Author: Riin Tamm, vice-rector for research, Estonian Academy of Security Sciences
Read more: ERR.EE
