Trend Growing reliance on digital platforms raising exposure to disruption

Summary

The report defines digital platforms as online infrastructure, such as marketplaces and social media, that connects users with one another. Society's growing dependence on platforms and service providers for daily tasks, information, services and social ties has brought major change and holds great potential to raise productivity and economic growth. Yet as more of life moves online, exposure to cyber attacks, identity theft, misinformation, disinformation and service outages rises too. These risks weigh most heavily on people who are already digitally excluded or distrust the online world. The report warns that modern infrastructure, from power grids to traffic systems, is so closely integrated with digital platforms that disruptions could cause catastrophic failures.