- 23/09/2020
- Category: Commentaries
Yogyakarta, 23rd March 2019 – The existence of technology has become inseparable from every aspect of our society. Many innovations had become a competition that accelerated our society’s integration with technology. Japan, with the concept of Society 5.0 reflects on its ambition to lead the advancement. At the same time, United State tries to embolden its power through the use of supercomputers for nuclear simulation. In a smaller scope, technology also penetrates the smallest entity of an individual. For example, microchip implantation could give ease of access to many aspects of living but its usage is inseparable from the threat of personal data theft. These phenomena are summarized in the Center for Digital Society (CfDS)’s monthly discussion, Difussion #11, that talked about Society 5.0 (23/03) where technology’s existence in the society is discussed from various perspectives by three researchers from CfDS.
Society 5.0
Japan’s ambition to integrate whole aspects of society with technology is ideated in its plans regarding the economic framework of Society 5.0. This framework focused on five fundamental aspects of Japan: health insurance for the aging population, mobility revolution, new generation of supply chain technology, technologically integrated infrastructure, and optimization of Fintech (Financial Technology). Despite the contextual nature of Society 5.0, the framework could be adjusted in accordance with the needs of every nation. However, there is a lot to consider for the universal implementation of Society 5.0: First, the technological gap between Japan and other countries; second, the problem pertaining to employment in the scenario of Society 5.0; lastly, the exploitative nature in the industrial scheme that involves the relationship between technology and human.
“It is possible to implement Society 5.0 in Indonesia. By all means, it needs to focus on what is actually needed by the Indonesian society and adapt accordingly with the existing capacity. Also, The human-centered approach in Society 5.0 made it possible to resolve priority related problems,” said Anaq Duanaiko answering a question about the possibility of Society 5.0 being adopted in Indonesia.
Super Computer in The Perspectives of Cyber Security
If Japan has prepared the framework for Society 5.0, the Superpower Country, United States of America has the technology of supercomputer. A supercomputer is more technologically advanced in comparison to ordinary computers. A supercomputer is capable of doing more than 200.000 trillion computations in a second. This supercomputing capability allows supercomputers to be used on a massive scale. Supercomputers are built to perform tasks that are hard-to-do for the ordinary computer. For example, supercomputers are used in quantum mechanics research, climate change research, forecasting weather, cryptoanalysis, and the exploration of natural resources. One such task that is carried out by Sierra, a supercomputer owned by the US, is to help NNSA generate nuclear simulations, replacing nuclear simulations that are done underground all this time.
The high intensity in which the US is cyber-attacked for the last decade and the amounts of loss incurred to the US by the attacks reflects the urgency for the US to develop a technology that could help prevent and mitigate cyber-attacks that is launched against the US, instead of investing in its nuclear weaponry. Treviliana Eka Putri revealed that US’ efforts to strengthen its weaponry is also a message for its competitor, including China, that the US is getting stronger and more strategic in doing military attacks.
Microchip and Cyber Security
The initial idea of microchip implantation is to further increase electronic devices’ accessibility. Thousands of microchip is already implanted in human bodies across the UK and Sweden. In Sweden, Biohax partnered with the Swedish-State Owned Enterprise), Statens Järnvägar to make it possible for passengers to ride trains without using tickets by implanting a microchip.
Microchip’s implantation is often considered a risk to the safety and privacy of an individual. In the context of a relationship between companies and their employees, for example, microchip implants could be seen as a way for company officials to intensify its control over its employees. Some people contended that today’s microchip technology doesn’t have any capability to track someone and violate their privacy. Today’s known capabilities of microchips are limited to opening and closing doors, unlocking a car, and operating some features of a smartphone. However, that doesn’t mean that in the near future there won’t be any possibility for microchips to intrude and violate our privacy. The information that is stored inside a microchip has the potential to be downloaded via tools that are capable of reading microchip’s ambiance that is located around the microchip and sending its location through the internet.
Rachmadita K emphasized that the usage of microchip could be seen as both something that could improve the accessibility of everyday’s life and a threat to the privacy of the citizens. Microchip has shown its potential to give ease of access to electronic devices while at the same time is at risk for data thievery, being used as an illegal spying tool, and misuse of data. Therefore, when microchip’s usage is more mainstream in the near future, the government needs to prevent worst-case scenarios by creating tight regulations.
Written by: Varrel Vendira
CfDS (Center for Digital Society) UGM is a multi-disciplinary research center that is established under the Faculty of Social & Political Sciences University of Gadjah Mada. This research center is built upon the concern over the contemporary dynamics of socio-political condition of the world that is accentuated by the impeccable influence of information technology. The phenomenon triggers the new patterns and complexities in the society, and thus requires new approaches in managing such complexities. Our research and other activities are based on spirits that is aligned with our motto, productive, innovative, & influential.
