Rise of Fifth Estate

Challenges and the Way Ahead

Abstract

From news to social media, from net banking to e-commerce, online gaming to ordering food at home, technology has paved its way into our lives. Technology has become our nervous system and any disruption to it can cause paralysis in an individual's life. The individual's personal information, which one never shares in physical space, has moved to the cloud and is sold for a few bucks in the market. Technical gadgets have become so advanced that one can get a real feel of a war zone, a robbery scene, a terrorist attack, or a high-speed jet inside a room wearing suitable gaming kits. The physical meetings have moved to virtual space. Technology is virtually 24x7 with us knowingly or unknowingly. Technology is an enabler and at the same time, it has enhanced the potential of lawbreakers. The biggest challenge, as the technology advances, remains that of security and legality in virtual space, because in virtual space there are no boundaries, limited laws can be applied and illegal activities continue through the dark web, albeit in a legal way.