Over 50 billion devices to be connected to the Internet by 2020 (US commerce official)

The number of devices connected to the Internet worldwide will triple by 2020, to more than 50 billion units, US Deputy Secretary of Commerce Bruce Andrews told the second day of the Regional Cyber Security Summit in Bucharest.

Photo credit: (c) Alex MICSIK / AGERPRES PHOTO

Since the number of cyberattacks is increasing in Europe and all around the world, said Andrews, the time has come for the identification of technological and political solutions necessary to protect ourselves and recover after future threats. He said the digital environment is an integral part of the activities of the government and the industry as well as of our daily lives. By 2020, he added, a tripling in the number of devices connected to the Internet is expected, to more than 50 billion. The potential benefits for the society and the economies of our countries are huge, the official added, but that also means an increase in the number of hackers' targets.

Romania's Ministry for Information Society together with the US Department of Commerce and the Commercial Section of the US Embassy in Bucharest are organising, May 11-13, at the Palace of the Parliament a Regional Cyber Security Summit.

A number of 17 states in Central and South-Eastern Europe are invited at the event beginning on Monday to present their policies in the cybersecurity area, to approach topics such as the cyber threats and vulnerabilities and to identify opportunities for international and regional collaboration.

Companies and government officials, specialists in the cybersecurity area from the public and private environment from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, the Republic of Moldova, Montenegro,...