Ensuring the security of digital information

Every day we store and transfer sensitive digital data, post personal information on social media, and provide valuable details to companies when we use their services. Keeping secure the 2.5 quintillion (2.5 million billion) bytes of data created every day from outside attack is a mammoth task. The potential for breaching security is vast, due to a plethora of available services and the many weak links that appear in the chain whenever data is moved. A further consideration is who should have access to data, taking the issue beyond technology into the social and political realm.