Sicherheig - Brese oder schrittmacher?

In our day-to-day lives we have developed measures aimed at protecting ourselves from risks such as accidents, theft or intrusion into our personal privacy. We tend, however, to take such measures for granted. Home security, vehicle safety, trustworthy institutions such as public authorities, lawyers or banks have become part and parcel of our everyday lives. What impact is information and communications technology having on this situation? This article takes a look at the role of IT security in today's information and knowledge society. It examines the value of IT security as an economic factor and as an enabling technology for new fields of application such as e-business. It addresses the critical problem areas and presents a number of current research and development projects. The article aims to show how security technology should be viewed not as an inhibitor but rather as driving force for innovative applications.