Political convulsions are visible everywhere in the western democratic world. On both left and right, debate has become increasingly febrile and ideological. Non-consensus is the new normal, and this provides fertile ground for abuse by malign actors who seek to undermine western democracies. They will do so more easily with the help of technology.
The digital revolution gave us networks of connectivity that accelerated the creation, consumption and proliferation of information (including misinformation and fake content) at an unprecedented rate. Now we are in the midst of the so-called fourth industrial revolution, the era in which technology becomes embedded within societies and even the human body.