December 2018 Editorial – EPN Consulting Newsletter

SHARE

Dear Colleague,

You are now reading the 100th issue of the monthly EPN Consulting Newsletter that we proudly publish since Sept 2010 when we realised that our audience could benefit from receiving straight in their mailbox a selection of news that would keep them updated with the latest developments in fields such as European Affairs & Projects, Sustainable Transport, Renewable Energy Sources, Circular Economy, ICT & AI, etc.

This is the right time to thank all of you for constantly reading the EPN Consulting Newsletter and give us your appreciated comments and suggestions.

As you know I am also committed to writing an Editorial every month where I express my own view on some topics and I’d be delighted to hear your opinion that you could send to editorial@epnconsulting.eu.

This month I would like to have a word on the recent disruptions suffered by passengers of the London Gatwick airport closed many times in a couple of days due to the presence of drones flying too close to the airport area. Provided that I consider this disturbance action pretty stupid and irrespective of people’s need to travel (especially in this Holidays period), this event suggests that specific rules, regulations and countermeasures should be urgently designed and adopted to prevent similar events in the future.

Technology is evolving rapidly – probably as fast as never before – but regulations don’t progress with the same pace. Our world is very commercially-led to launch on the market more and more new products without considering the consequences on the legal and secure aspects. That’s why with a few hundreds Euros we can easily buy excellent drones for leisure and have devices able to fly for kms, taking pictures of people without them being aware, sneaking in private properties from the sky, with little or no regulations.

Another example is represented by smart devices for smart homes (e.g. e-thermostats, e-bulbs, e-washing machines, etc.) that could be easily cracked as the producers aim to sell them before their competitors without ensuring a proper security protocol to protect them from external attacks. This could lead to disastrous events in families and offices.

We all love technology that relieves us from boring tasks, automates daily procedures, keeps ourselves timely and more informed, gives some fun with games and social media. However, consequences of this technological evolution should be taken into account already in the design phase to avoid fixing potentially serious damages later on.

In conclusion, I would like to wish You and Your Families a Merry Christmas and a Wonderful 2019 able to fulfil all your dreams and ambitions!

Stefano Mainero
EPN Consulting CEO & Founder