By far the most important issue where the can got “kicked down the road” is any kind of concerted effort to deter or dissuade cross-border cyber-crime, cyber-attacks, cyber-vandalism and other various forms of hacking mischief.
As more and more people become reliant of digital devices and networks for their livelihoods and leisure, their vulnerability to digital damage and abuse is increasing. The legal regimes to protect them and discourage attack have not kept up.
The threat of digital harms and destruction are an order of magnitude more likely and more dangerous over the next decade than the threat of climate change. Policymakers should have the wit and courage to act accordingly.
[Editor’s note: To tap the wisdom of our distinguished group of Xconomists, we asked a few of them to answer this question heading into 2015: What’s the most important issue that didn’t get addressed in 2014? You can see more questions and answers here.]
