We are sleepwalking into a catastrophe

THIS country, and indeed the entire developed world, is sleepwalking into a trap, the results of which could be as catastrophic as a nuclear exchange, as we place more and more of our vital infrastructure at the mercy of the world wide web, thereby putting all our eggs in one basket.

Consider the situation which would arise if our energy networks, water supplies, communications and banking systems all failed simultaneously, and permanently, as it would lead very rapidly to economic collapse and anarchy.

This could occur in the space of a day, as a major solar flare would destroy the satellite network, and most of our electronic technology, but fortunately such an event only takes place every few hundred years, and one is not due until the 23rd century.

However, as a species, we are quite capable of visiting this disaster upon ourselves, by the instigation of a cyber war, where malicious, probably state controlled attacks, could bring down the entire global network. Quite apart from the risk of such an attack releasing nuclear weapons the consequences for our delicately balanced civilisation could be almost beyond imagining.

For the first 30 years of my career we more or less successfully ran our affairs without the widespread use of computers.

Indeed, when I joined the work force we had no electronic calculators, photocopying was by use of chemical, and very messy, copiers, and we still relied on the ability of employees to use arithmetic to maintain ledgers etc.

It would not be necessary to return to those days, but the only safe course now is to cease to tangle all our services in one giant web, but rather to limit systems to individual requirements, so that to take down one institution would not result in all failing.

The loss of social media would not be important, except to children obsessed with their use, but to lose control of everything would be an unmitigated calamity. Nevertheless, I fear that we are now so addicted to this technology that we will continue to intertwine these vital systems until one day their failure brings down our modern world. Colin Bullen

By email