{"id":407,"date":"2026-04-22T21:17:13","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T21:17:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wtisd.itu.int\/2026\/?page_id=407"},"modified":"2026-04-27T22:05:47","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T22:05:47","slug":"digital-risks-report","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/wtisd.itu.int\/2026\/digital-risks-report\/","title":{"rendered":"When digital systems fail: The hidden risks of our digital world"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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When digital systems fail: The hidden risks of our digital world<\/h2>\n <\/div>\n
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Flagship report launching 5 May 2026<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n\n\n

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\n A “digital pandemic” may be more likely than it seems. New report explores the fragility of our interconnected world \u2014 and what we can do about it. <\/em> <\/h3>\n

\n What if mobile phones and the internet stopped working, payments failed, hospitals lost patient data, and emergency alerts never arrived?<\/strong> What may sound like science fiction could become a reality. Modern society runs on critical digital infrastructure, from electricity, finance, and transport to healthcare, communication, and government services. These deeply connected systems are more fragile than they appear, and their risks are largely overlooked. <\/p>\n

\n About the report <\/h3>\n

\n When digital systems fail: The hidden risks of our digital world<\/em> , published by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), and Sciences Po, explores physical risks on Earth, under the sea, and in space. Drawing on real-world examples and the work of experts from 12 countries, the report maps the fragility of our interconnected digital world and offers a roadmap for collective preparedness.<\/strong>

Aligning with the theme of World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD) 2026<\/a>, the report is a timely reminder of what is at stake when the digital lifelines<\/a> we depend on fail. <\/p>\n

\n \n Stay tuned for the launch of the report on 5 May 2026<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n

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\n Get to know the experts behind the report <\/h3>\n

\n This report is the product of a structured co-creation process built on the input of an international panel of experts spanning international organizations, national authorities, academic institutions, and the private sector. <\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n\n\n

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\n Chair & lead author<\/strong> <\/p>\n <\/div>\n

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Jan Verlin<\/p>\n

\n <\/i> Associate Professor, University Jean Moulin Lyon 3 \/ Sciences Po\u2013CrisisLab \/ \u00c9cole Normale Sup\u00e9rieure, Chair in Geopolitics of Risk<\/span>\n \n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n\n\n
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\n Co-chairs<\/strong> <\/p>\n <\/div>\n

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Humbulani Mudau<\/p>\n

\n <\/i>Chief Executive Officer, South African National Space Agency<\/span>\n \n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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\u00d6yk\u00fc I\u015f\u0131k<\/p>\n

\n <\/i>Professor of Digital Strategy & Cybersecurity, IMD Business School<\/span>\n \n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n\n\n
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\n Expert group <\/h3>\n <\/div>\n
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Natalie Black<\/p>\n

\n <\/i>Group Director, Communications & Networks, Ofcom (United Kingdom)<\/span>\n \n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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Kimberly Brown<\/p>\n

\n <\/i>Head of Mobile for Humanitarian Innovation, GSMA<\/span>\n \n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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Jay Mahanand<\/p>\n

\n <\/i>Chief Information Officer, World Food Programme<\/span>\n \n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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Juha-Pekka Luntama<\/p>\n

\n <\/i>Head of Space Weather Office, European Space Agency<\/span>\n \n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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Dean Veverka<\/p>\n

\n <\/i>International Cable Protection Committee<\/span>\n \n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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Dr. Sameer Patil<\/p>\n

\n <\/i>Director, Observer Research Foundation<\/span>\n \n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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Dr. Bushra Al Blooshi<\/p>\n

\n <\/i>Chair, Cloud Computing Group, World Bank \/ Dubai Electronic Security Center<\/span>\n \n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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Zhou Kaibo<\/p>\n

\n <\/i>Director, China Academy of Information and Communications Technology<\/span>\n \n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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Rodney Taylor <\/p>\n

\n <\/i>Secretary-General, Caribbean Telecommunication Union<\/span>\n \n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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Rajib Shaw<\/p>\n

\n <\/i>Professor, Keio University<\/span>\n \n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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Dr. Beate Degen<\/p>\n

\n <\/i>Chair, Institute for Risk Management<\/span>\n \n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":429,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-no-heading-template.php","meta":{"footnotes":"","_wp_rev_ctl_limit":""},"class_list":["post-407","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wtisd.itu.int\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/407","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wtisd.itu.int\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wtisd.itu.int\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wtisd.itu.int\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wtisd.itu.int\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=407"}],"version-history":[{"count":30,"href":"https:\/\/wtisd.itu.int\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/407\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":444,"href":"https:\/\/wtisd.itu.int\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/407\/revisions\/444"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wtisd.itu.int\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/429"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wtisd.itu.int\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=407"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}