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Russia\u2019s Kremlin ordered officials to stop using iPhones<\/a>, apparently over concerns the devices could be vulnerable to Western intelligence agencies, Reuters reports. When surveillance-as-a-service firms<\/a> sit exposed for brazenly undermining device security<\/a>, it’s hard to think there isn’t an argument there. But the bigger story isn\u2019t the harm to Apple\u2019s small business in Russia, it’s the threat to digital supply chains it shows.<\/p>\n Having spent years<\/a> attempting to build robust physical supply chains<\/a>, it would be easy to imagine things should get better. But a new threat to business is emerging as digital supply chains struggle in the face of political fragmentation.<\/p>\n This was part of the discussion at Mobile World Congress<\/a> in 2023, according to Orange Business CEO Aliette Mousnier-Lompr\u00e9. She wrote<\/a>: \u201cI was struck by general worries of pretty much everyone I have spoken to around what the world politics can mean in terms of fragmentation of the digital supply chains.\u201d<\/p>\n That fragmentation isn\u2019t solely represented by smartphone tribalism in Moscow. It won\u2019t simply see nation states invest in new operating systems<\/a> designed to protect state assets. It is unlikely to cease with dystopian control<\/a> over internet content or data protection. It could conceivably extend to damaging the standards<\/a> that form the foundation of all the tech we use.<\/p>\n We already see traces of this.<\/p>\n Think about the dozens of smart home standards that are only now attempting to coalesce inside the Matter smart device standard<\/a>. Think, too, of the three flavors of 5G<\/a> that exist. In the context of our times, these represent the thin end of a threatening wedge.<\/p>\n Predicting the impact of such a threat is far from easy: but if you\u2019ve ever lost data after plugging your device into a public USB power outlet, you\u2019ll probably have some idea of what\u2019s at stake. How long will it remain an open secret that C-class execs sometimes throw away their smartphone after visiting some places because they think it likely they\u2019ve been hacked?<\/p>\n While there are always multiple threats, two primary threats to digital supply chains exist.<\/p>\n That same mentality can easily extend to the deliberate confection of security failings within open-source components<\/a> to the standards so much of our technology uses.<\/p>\n The consequences of these threats could be profound:<\/p>\n Not only these, but as digital is now embedded within every business process, threats to digital supply chains may impact every industry, generating additional consequences and potentially threatening national security.<\/p>\n Think about it. In today\u2019s digital business environment, the \u201cservices\u201d category is something much bigger than Ted Lasso<\/em> and Apple Music<\/a>; it also encompasses myriads of complex cloud services cunningly crafted for specific business use. Such services must work well together, be available across multiple platforms, and need to be security first.<\/p>\n That need certainly extends to artificial intelligence \u2014 why would any company want to depend on a business AI that isn\u2019t transparent concerning what happens to data entered into the system? Where do those questions go when asked, and who has access to them<\/a>?<\/p>\n As always, security remains a primary consideration. On-site and off-site backups become critical. A business must spend time considering data sovereignty, particularly around use of cloud services. Knowing where a server is situated isn\u2019t solely important to stay on the right side of GDPR rules, it\u2019s also about ensuring a business knows where that data goes across its entire journey. And where it might leak.<\/p>\n Redundancy also matters, and in the context of unstable digital systems, it makes sense for enterprise leaders to consider how to build more resilient digital connections, perhaps using private 5G networks or leased physical connections to form resilient backbones.<\/p>\n But ultimately tech firms including Apple, business leaders, and politicians need to consider the consequences of the decisions they make on interoperability. Because if interoperability between standards, platforms, and systems is not maintained, the digital glue driving the aspirations of the few who believe economic growth is even remotely possible in an environment characterized by climate collapse, political polarization, and resource scarcity will come to naught<\/a>.<\/p>\n To save the economy, digital interoperability is critical, privacy essential and security mandatory. This extends to state-mandated backdoors and nation-state invested hacks into digital devices that should be obsessively eradicated to deny dictators such as those in the Kremlin an argument in the first place. At its simplest, in the digital world, no one is safe until all are safe.<\/p>\n Good luck with that.<\/p>\n Please follow me on\u00a0Mastodon<\/a>, or join me in the\u00a0AppleHolic\u2019s bar & grill<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/em>Apple<\/em>\u00a0Discussions<\/em><\/a>\u00a0groups on MeWe.<\/em><\/p>\n http:\/\/www.computerworld.com\/category\/security\/index.rss<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Russia\u2019s Kremlin ordered officials to stop using iPhones<\/a>, apparently over concerns the devices could be vulnerable to Western intelligence agencies, Reuters reports. When surveillance-as-a-service firms<\/a> sit exposed for brazenly undermining device security<\/a>, it’s hard to think there isn’t an argument there. But the bigger story isn\u2019t the harm to Apple\u2019s small business in Russia, it’s the threat to digital supply chains it shows.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n