No power, no internet – and now what?
What happens in case of a large-scale blackout? And how would the health sector, logistics and other crucial infrastructure deal with an internet outage? In both cases, one thing is for certain: life as we know it would come to a halt. ITA-experts explored both scenarios in 2022.
In September, Jaro Krieger-Lamina and a multi-disciplinary project team, which included the BOKU Vienna, presented the findings of the multi-disciplinary project ISIDOR, a two-year analysis on what would happen in Austria when the internet dies: “Our water and the power supply would not be affected. However, other infrastructure like hospitals or logistics, would seriously suffer”, stresses Krieger-Lamina. Together with Steffen Bettin, he also presented the results of a second study on a blackout in Austria to Parliament. The study, conducted by the working group ITA/AIT (Institute of Technology Assessment of the Austrian Academy of Sciences and the Austrian Institute of Technology), was commissioned by the Austrian Parliament. It provides an overview of the knowledge and the existing need for action to prevent electricity shortages or blackouts from occurring.
Search Engines – why we need alternatives to Google
Google is answering all our questions, but is far from objective. Results are ranked, commercial interests come into play. The ITA’s Astrid Mager has devoted her research to exploring what is behind the largest global search engines and analysing real alternatives for Europe. In February 2022 she presented her findings at the Austrian Academy of Sciences. ORF Online writes about her presentation: “The quality of the search results we see cannot really be measured. So, it may be that a large company is listed higher than a more helpful small site.” APA, the Austrian Press Agency, says: “Search engines are not a neutral technology. Social power relations are also inscribed in their algorithms.” Der Standard’s Alois Pumhösel finds that “you have to look for alternatives with a magnifying glass”.
AI, 5G, digital sovereignty
Other media high-lights centered around digitisation: Walter Peissl, together with the Austrian Chamber of Labor, warned of the many unanswered questions around Artificial Intelligence: “AI is not consumer-ready yet, we do not understand decision-making factors enough to monitor them appropriately.” Michael Nentwich, the director of the ITA, stressed the importance of digital sovereignty at the annual Internet Summit Austria: “We must thrive to become more independent in the area of cyber-security. We need substantial investments to strengthen our national competencies”. Karen Kastenhofer, author of the parliamentary study “5G and Health”, was quoted by Austrian newspaper “Die Kronen Zeitung” saying: “We should discuss the issue openly and examine alternatives. For example, receiving 5G via fibre optic technology. This reduces the need for electromagnetic fields, which are still poorly little researched and may have effects on living beings. It would also be a signal to the population that concerns are being taken seriously.”
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